If Scotland achieve anything worthwhile at the World Cup next month, then they will have South Africa to thank for it. It was the first international in Durban last summer that finally persuaded Frank Hadden, the Scotland coach, that in order to compete with the best in the world, his players would have to match them pound for pound, and since then he has become unashamedly sizeist about his selection.

That has even extended to the back division where Marcus Di Rollo is the most obvious victim. Being a long-term favourite of Hadden, who used to see his passing skills as vital to the tactic of moving the ball around until gaps appeared, has not saved Di Rollo from being the only fit frontline player not to have had a run in the World Cup warm-up games.

Di Rollo’s personal circumstances probably do not help. He has agreed that he will move to Toulouse and has resigned from Edinburgh, but has yet to sign the contract with his new club. There is no doubt about the move, but the hint of uncertainty that will always be there until both sides have penned their signatures to the contract must be unsettling for the player.

The reality, however, is that with Hadden having decided to look for the biggest players available and that he would send them out with tactics heavily weighted in favour of simple one-pass rugby, Di Rollo’s days must have been numbered, though the jury is still out on whether Rob Dewey can cope with the transition from inside to outside centre at international level.

The tactics do, however, play straight into the hands of the big beasts in the pack and mean that any attempt by opponents to draw lessons from previous games is likely to be futile. “It is like being in a new team,” Jim Hamilton, the lock, whose bulk is a key element in the change of strategy, said. “We have a new-found confidence throughout the squad. We will take that into the game, we got a good win against Ireland two weeks ago but it counts for nothing if we don’t back it up in this game.”

It is an attitude that continues throughout the team. Euan Murray, the prop, is, according to his teammates, relishing the prospect of taking on Oz Du Randt, and Gavin Kerr, who missed the Ireland game with a damaged toe, is no less bullish about his front row battle with CJ Van Der Linde. “It will be a good challenge for us as a team and for me to fit into a team that played well last time,” he said. “We know they are aggressive and committed but we as a group have put bulk on as well and don’t need to feel inferior in any way.”

The only significant change in the Scotland side comes in the back row. Kelly Brown comes in for Allister Hogg as a straight like-for-like replacement, but he would have been involved anyway and the bigger chance heads the way of David Callam.

The Edinburgh No 8 replaces Simon Taylor after Hadden decided not to risk the deep gash on his face.

“It is a chance for guys like me to put their hands up,” Callam said. “The way Simon [Taylor] and Allister [Hogg] performed last week, they put a huge marker down and it is up to Kelly [Brown] and myself to show we can match that.”

The match is something of a gamble for the Springboks as well, the only serious competitive match for their first-choice unit since they were pipped at the post by New Zealand in the second game of the Tri-Nations.

Since then they have sent a second string to complete that tournament and played Nambia and Connacht. So after three months without a competitive match, they have today to get it right before taking on Samoa and then England at the start of their World Cup campaign.

Teams

Scotland: R Lamont (Sale Sharks); N Walker (Ospreys), R Dewey (Ulster), A Henderson (Glasgow), S Webster (Edinburgh); C Paterson (Gloucester), M Blair (Edinburgh); G Kerr (unattached), R Ford (Glasgow), E Murray (Northampton), N Hines (Perpignan), J Hamilton (Leicester), J White (Sale Sharks, captain), D Callam (Edinburgh), K Brown (Glasgow). Replacements: F Thomson (Glasgow), A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), S Murray (Montauban), A Hogg (Edinburgh), R Lawson (Gloucester), D Parks (Glasgow), H Southwell (Edinburgh).

South Africa: P Montgomery; J P Pietersen, J Fourie, F Steyn, B Habana; A James, F du Preez; J du Randt, G Botha, C J van der Linde, J Botha, V Matfield (captain), S Burger, J Smith, D Rossouw. Replacements: B du Plessis, B J Botha, A van den Berg, W van Heerden, R Pienaar, A Pretorius, A Willemse.

Referee: C Berdos (France).

Television: Live, BBC Two, from 4.40pm.

Wales: K Morgan (Newport Gwent Dragons); M Jones (Llanelli Scarlets), J Robinson (Cardiff Blues), G Thomas (Cardiff Blues, captain), S Williams, (Ospreys, above); J Hook (Ospreys), D Peel (Llanelli Scarlets); D Jones (Ospreys), M Rees (Llanelli Scarlets), C Horsman (Worcester), I Gough (Ospreys), A W Jones (Ospreys), J Thomas (Ospreys), M Williams (Cardiff Blues), A Popham (Llanelli Scarlets). Replacements: T R Thomas (Cardiff Blues), G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), W James (Gloucester), C Charvis (Newport Gwent Dragons), M Phillips (Ospreys), C Sweeney (Newport Gwent Dragons), S Parker (Ospreys).

France (from): C Heymans, A Rougerie, C Dominici, V Clerc, D Traille, Y Jauzion, D Skréla, L Beauxis, J-B Elissalde, P Mignoni, N Mas, P de Villiers, J-B Poux, S Bruno, D Szarzewski, J Thion, L Nallet, T Dusautoir, S Betsen (captain), R Martin, S Chabal, I Harinordoquy.

Referee: W Barnes (England).

Television: Live, BBC One, tomorrow, from 2.30pm.