Deans selections are a show of faith

Robbie Deans has named his first unchanged starting line-up since becoming Wallabies coach last year for Saturday’s Tri Nations showdown with the Springboks.

Deans, who only arrived in Cape Town on Wednesday night after attending his father Tony’s funeral in New Zealand, opted to stick with the same XV who started last month’s series-opening 22-16 loss to the All Blacks in Auckland.

In a big show of faith – and illustrating that this is the team that he plans to build his 2011 World Cup campaign around – Deans’ selection marks the first time in his 19-Test Wallabies coaching reign that he’s fielded the same starting side in consecutive games.

In the only change to the match day 22, winger Peter Hynes replaces veteran flanker Phil Waugh to give the Wallabies a more standard 3-4 backs-forwards split on the bench, leaving youngster David Pocock to back up George Smith.

South Africa’s coach Peter de Villiers has also picked an unchanged starting line-up for the first time in his 19-Test Springboks tenure.

In another coincidence, Deans also has the chance to match de Villiers with a 13-6 win-loss record if the Australians can spring an upset and conjure their first victory at Newlands since 1992.

The coaching duel adds further intrigue to what already shapes as a classic Test between the only two nations to have captured two Rugby World Cups.

The all-conquering South Africans – fresh from their magnificent series win over the British and Irish Lions and first back-to-back Test triumphs on successive weekends against the All Blacks in 33 years – have been labelled by some as the finest `Boks team of all-time.

“Most of the guys have said it. I’ve said it as well: this is as close to a complete Springbok outfit as I’ve seen,” Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock said on Wednesday.

“They’re a team that right now are in a really positive frame of mind. They’re playing a style of football that they’re very comfortable with and they’re playing it very well.

“Just the confidence with how they go about their business as well. So it’s a massive challenge for us, but one we feel as though we’ve prepared well for.

“We’re looking forward to taking that challenge on. Cape Town is a place where we’ve had a lot of preparations and we’re very familiar in these surroundings.

“But we haven’t had a win here for a long time. It’s been a fair while, so there’s a lot to play for.”

Of Australia’s starting XV, only Mortlock, 32, lock Nathan Sharpe, 31, and prop Al Baxter, 32, are on the wrong side of the 30.

All three, though, are expected to stick around for another World Cup campaign.

Mortlock, in particular, is looking leaner than ever and showing no signs of slowing down.

Barring the emergence next season of any special talent, Deans looks to have shown his World Cup intentions with dynamic backline threequarter Digby Ioane (shoulder) and inspirational flanker Rocky Elsom (knee) the only two stars who would have pressed for selection if not injured.

Mortlock insisted the Wallabies were carrying no scars from their 53-8 humiliation at the hands of the Springboks in Johannesburg last year in what was the two sides’ last Test clash.

“If anything, that’s a good thing for us to know how damaging they can be when they’re in the zone,” he said.

“And they’re in a real positive frame of mind at the moment, so it just reinforces the reality of what we’ve got in front of us, which I think is a really good thing.”

Wallabies: Adam Ashley-Cooper, Lachie Turner, Stirling Mortlock (capt), Berrick Barnes, Drew Mitchell, Matt Giteau, Luke Burgess, Wycliff Palu, George Smith, Richard Brown, Nathan Sharpe, James Horwill, Al Baxter, Stephen Moore, Benn Robinson. Res: Tatafu Polota-Nau, Ben Alexander, Dean Mumm, David Pocock, Will Genia, Peter Hynes, James O’Connor.