Front row pair BJ Botha and Tendai Mtawarira are among five player that have been dropped from the South Africa squad to face New Zealand in their Tri Nations encounter in Johannesburg on Saturday.

SOUTH AFRICA coach Peter de Villiers has rung the changes ahead of Saturday’s Tri Nations clash with Australia at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has rung the changes ahead of Saturday’s Tri Nations clash with Australia at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has made two enforced changes for the second Tri Nations Test in Wellington on Saturday as his team look to make amends for their humbling loss to New Zealand.

New Zealand 32 South Africa 12

Gavin Thomas’ exile from international rugby will end on Saturday after he was named in Wales’ starting line-up for the first Test against New Zealand in Dunedin.

South Africa 42 France 17

Bulls 25 Stormers 17

THE Ospreys have been fined £100,000 and docked four league points next season for breaching Magners League rules.

The Ospreys have been fined £100,000 and docked four league points next season for breaching Magners League rules.

MUNSTER manager Shaun Payne admitted last night to “a degree of concern” that the decision to appeal the six-week suspension imposed on Jerry Flannery after an incident in the France-Ireland game could backfire on the former Heineken Cup champions.

The Ospreys have been cleared of fielding an ineligible player in the Heineken Cup.

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS supporters are anxiously waiting to find out whether they must start from scratch with their travel plans for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.

THE knockout stages of the Heineken Cup could be thrown into chaos following another player controversy involving the Ospreys.

The Ospreys say they are “co-operating fully” with tournament chiefs amid reports of them facing a second investigation relating to this season’s Heineken Cup campaign.

Clermont Auvergne 27 Ospreys 7

Ospreys 26 Cardiff Blues 0

Ospreys 26 Cardiff Blues 0

Scarlets 14 Ospreys 21

WE’RE going to kick off proceedings with the most unlikely call to arms you’re going to hear this week: let’s hear it for Peter de Villiers.

SOUTH AFRICAN rugby bosses have moved to defuse a potentially explosive row over the Springboks’ behaviour during the national anthem before Saturday’s test win over the British and Irish Lions.

SPRINGBOK coach Peter de Villiers could find himself in hot water this week after he was ordered to answer for his allegations of racism directed towards critics of Ricky Januarie.

SOUTH Africa assistant coach Gary Gold has revealed Schalk Burger was always going to be in the starting line-up for the series against the British and Irish Lions as long as he was fit.

Schalk Burger returns to the starting line-up for South Africa when they take on the British and Irish Lions in the second Test match in Pretoria on Saturday.

Peter de Villiers has named three uncapped players in his South African XV to face a Namibian Invitational XV in Windhoek on Friday.

South Africa have lost scrum-half Fourie du Preez to injury for Saturday’s autumn international against Scotland.

Bakkies Botha has been named in a full-strength South Africa XV for Saturday’s Test against Wales in Cardiff.

The South African team hailed the influence of John Smit after their historic 30-28 victory against New Zealand today.

New Zealand 28 South Africa 30

South Africa 37 Wales 21

Barbarians 22 South Africa 5

Springbok coach Jake White has named his team to face Connacht at the Sports Ground in Galway, Ireland, on August 21.

South Africa 35 Samoa 8

LEINSTER fly-half Felipe Contepomi will captain Argentina in the first test against Ireland in Santa Fe on Saturday.

Winger Ashwin Willemse could play his first Test in two years for South Africa after coach Jake White named him in the side to face England on Saturday.

Ireland 32 South Africa 15

Ireland 22 South Africa 3

South Africa team to face Ireland at Lansdowne Road on Saturday:

South Africa coach Jake White will make a late decision over his fly-half for the Tri-Nations clash against New Zealand at the Westpac Trust stadium in Wellington on Saturday.

AUSTRALIA have made four changes for Saturday’s Tri Nations opener against South Africa in Pretoria, with Matt Dunning, John Roe, Morgan Turinui and Daniel Vickerman coming into the starting line-up.