After seeing his team demolish a weakened Ireland pack, Frank Hadden will cut down the changes and send almost the same set of forwards out to try to do the same to one of the biggest and toughest packs in world rugby when South Africa arrive at Murrayfield this weekend.

Hadden announces the team today but as he put the final touches to the 22 he was confident about his team’s chances, particularly if they can find similar aggression as took them close to springing a shock result in Port Elizabeth last summer, when a refereeing decision to call Chris Paterson back from a certain try proved crucial.

“That test could have gone either way and that is exactly the approach we will be taking this weekend,” Hadden said. “I expect an uncompromising contest where both sides will be determined to generate the sort of momentum you need going into a World Cup. South Africa are second favourites for the World Cup, but our boys are in bullish mood and determined to rectify the results from last summer.”

The Springboks showed their hand yesterday when they unveiled a second-string side to play in Connacht tonight, meaning that they will be expecting to field all their frontline players at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Hadden is likely to resist the temptation to throw all the players who missed the Ireland game in. “We are trying to combine match practice with generating a bit of momentum going into the World Cup,” he said. “Bear in mind that the first two games of the tournament, though both vital, are not the toughest matches. We see these as opportunities for some of the squad. You must have all the squad playing but you don’t want to lose the continuity of keeping the same side together.”

He claims to be unconcerned about the kind of injury picked up by Brian O’Driscoll, the Ireland captain, in their match in France last weekend when a punch put him out of the opening game. “It goes with the territory, it is a physical game and if you worried about picking up injuries you would never think about anything else,” Hadden said.

In fact he has almost a full squad from which to pick, Hugo Southwell pronouncing himself fully recovered from the hamstring strain that prevented him taking part in the Ireland match. “It was frustrating,” he said yesterday at the launch of the John Lewis formal clothing range the players will be wearing during the World Cup. “The hamstring just cramped up a bit.”