Luger wary of Springboks threat

England winger Dan Luger has warned his team-mates that South Africa will use their recent turmoil to good effect in the crucial Pool C World Cup showdown on October 18.

Clive Woodward’s men meet the Springboks in Perth with the winners securing a potentially far easier route to the final, but South Africa’s tournament preparations have been severely hampered by their internal conflicts.

Their camp has been rocked by a series of alleged racism claims, giving under-fire coach Rudolf Straeuli a headache he could do without following a year of under-achievement on the pitch from his misfiring Boks.

But with a month to go until the crunch encounter Down Under, Luger believes South Africa will meet England with their usual uncompromising style – although he does not expect a repeat of last November’s brutal clash at Twickenham.

“I think the problems that the Springboks have had recently might help them. The situation could have brought them closer together and enhanced their team spirit, which can only be good for them. It certainly won’t distract them,” said the Perpignan wing.

“Whatever has happened, they will still be fired up – Perth will be a massive game. There will be a lot of supporters from both teams there so it should be a great game.

“I don’t think it will be like the match last autumn but it’s always a massive physical battle when you play the Springboks. Physically they’re the hardest team to play against.

“It’s a massive game for both teams – but it won’t mean anything if we don’t beat Georgia first. We’ve got to win all of our games to get to the top of the group.”

Georgia are one of the minnows of world rugby but their aggression could pose a few problems for Woodward as he seeks to give his big names some much-needed practice ahead of the Springbok shoot-out, without exposing them to injury.

The former Soviet state was shaded 31-22 by Italy recently in a fractious match which saw Bessik Khamashuridze sent off for fighting – an incident which will not have pleased Woodward ahead of his side’s October 12 clash with Georgia.

But Luger, who has shaken off the back injury he suffered recently, insists England are ready for the challenge.

“Georgia will be a tough game for us. We’ve been told about the match they had in Italy when it erupted into a big fight.

“I haven’t actually seen the game but I’ve heard all about it. They only just lost the game as well,” said Luger.

“I’ve played sevens against them before – they are very big and very quick. They’ve got nothing to lose – they’re underdogs while we are one of the favourites of the tournament, so they will be giving it their all.

“But we’ll play tough, hard and within the laws like we always have done. If we stick to the game plan then we should be OK.”