Four years ago at this exact juncture of the Rugby World Cup, Jaque Fourie famously said

Four years ago at this exact juncture of the Rugby World Cup, Jaque Fourie famously said ahead of his team’s quarter-final in Marseilles: “Who are Fiji? Why should we be worried about Fiji?! They have never beaten us and they never will.”

They almost did, of course, and in 2011 Fourie is hardly singing the same arrogant tune ahead of tomorrow’s almighty showdown with Australia in the New Zealand capital, but the centre’s same old confidence is reassuringly intact.

“When we came to New Zealand six weeks ago we resolved before we had played a game that we would be prepared to win the title the hard way. We don’t want any team to do us a favour,” Fourie said.

“We have a great group of experienced guys – 18 of us were part of the 2007 campaign – and we remember how the critics tried to demean our achievement by saying we had an easy route to the final,” he said.

“That is just how it worked out. We had said at the outset of that campaign that we wanted to win seven games and that if we managed that we would be world champions when we wiped the sweat from our brows, and that is how it panned out,” said Fourie, who has scored 32 tries in 66 tests, and is third on the all time try-scoring table behind Bryan Habana (40) and Joost van der Westhuizen (38).

“Australia and New Zealand lost quarter-final games in 2007, which was their loss! It was not our fault that we did not have to play them,” the 28 year-old continued. “But this time they are in our path and we are glad that has happened. Once more it is about winning seven games and we really don’t care who we come up against as long as we win all seven.”

Fourie, in his inimitably frank manner, said that there is a two-fold key to victory and in the first case it is pressurising Australia into gifting the Boks at least two or three scoring opportunities: “And then taking them! If we don’t it will come back and bite us on the arse! The Aussies are brilliant finishers. They will probably take their chances, so we had better takes ours.”

Secondly, the Boks’ defence and discipline has to be spot on. So far in the World Cup they have conceded less points than any other team (24) and have had just two tries scored against them in four matches.

“The thing with defending against the Aussies is that you have to work harder than ever to get into position because they play such an up-tempo game,” Fourie said. “Australia are the most technical team in the world in terms of how they analyse you and see where they can exploit you.”

The happy-go-lucky Fourie said it is a myth that the Bok team is too old to contain the livewire Wallabies.

“I am 28, and most of the older guys in the team are around that age – surely that is prime time?! We only have three guys over 30 (John Smit, Danie Rossouw and Victor Matfield.). We are not an old team. A very experienced one, yes, and with that comes the knowledge that the only thing you should take out of past glories is the recollection of how you sweated blood to achieve them.

“History does not win you games – the desire to create new history does,” he said.

Yesterday the cocky Fourie and his team-mates were doing their best to relax before the match. The training has been done and now it is about putting their feet up and getting into the ideal mental space for the biggest match of their lives since the 2007 final.

“One thing we have learned over all the years we have been together is to not let the hype consume you. You have to switch off during the week and then flick the switch on match day. We will be in the zone. We will be ready.”

South Africa statistics

– South Africa are ranked No.2 in the world, having moved above Australia during the pool phase of RWC 2011.

– Are the defending RWC champions. No team has retained the Webb Ellis Cup.

– Have the best winning percentage of all teams in the Rugby World Cup. Their 25 wins and three defeats equate to an 89 per cent win rate.

– Have won their last 11 RWC matches, breaking the team record that started in 1995 and was ended by Australia in 1999, in what were the Springboks first 10 RWC matches. A win against the Wallabies would see the Springboks equal Australia’s RWC record of 12 consecutive victories, recorded during RWC 1999 and RWC 2003.

– Have won seven of their nine RWC knockout matches, which at 77.8 per cent is better than any other team. Their only knockout losses were against Australia in a 1999 semi-final and New Zealand in a 2003 quarter-final.

– No team is undefeated in RWC quarter-finals. South Africa, along with New Zealand and France, are the only teams to have played at least three quarter-finals and lost only one.

During the RWC 2011 pool phase, South Africa:

– Conceded the fewest points (24) of any team and only two tries. Only England conceded fewer tries (one).

– Spent 279 minutes leading their matches, second to only New Zealand, who have led for 298 minutes.

– Won 100 per cent of their scrums. New Zealand are the only other team to have done so.

– Were the least penalised team (33), equal with Italy.

– Were the second-most accurate kicking team, converting 81.8 per cent of their place kicks. France converted 84.6 per cent of their place kicks.

– Made 475 tackles, more than any other team.

– Missed 15 per cent of their tackles, more than any other quarter-finalist.

Springboks: 15 Patrick Lambie, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (capt), 1. Gurthrö Steenkamp.

Substitutes: Bismarck du Plessis, CJ van der Linde, Willem Alberts, Francois Louw, Francois Hougaard, Butch James, Gio Aplon.

Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Radike Samo, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 James Horwill, 4 Dan Vickerman, 3 Ben Robinson, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.

Substitutes: Tatafu Polota Nau, James Slipper, Nathan Sharpe, Ben McCalman, Luke Burgess , Berrick Barnes, Anthony Fainga’a.

Referee: Bryce Lawrence (NZ)

Kick-off: 7am SA time

MIKE GREENAWAY IN WELLINGTON