Former World Cup-winning Springbok coach Jake White cannot see any British and Irish Lions selection capable of overturning South Africa during the three-test tour this summer. Regardless of who Ian McGeechan picks, or what tactics he employs, White believes his successor Peter De Villiers has the pool of players at his disposal to thwart the tourists’ challenge.
"I'm not meaning to sound arrogant and this is not all about me saying the Lions have got no chance, but whatever they throw at the Springboks, I believe they can pick the players to counter that and there is no reason the Springboks can't win the series," said White toady.
"If the Lions go for a massive pack and very physical forwards, there's no reason South Africa can't pick bigger and more physical guys.
"We have players like Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Gurthro Steenkamp and Danie Rossouw to stop them.
"If they go for speed and try to run us off our feet on the highveld, do they have anyone better than Pierre Spies, Ryan Kankowski or Schalk Burger?" he added.
White coached South Africa from 2004-2007 and guided them to World Cup victory in 2007 in France and introduced most of the players now coached by De Villiers to international rugby.
"Obviously I'm biased about those players I rated highly, but South Africa does have a very special group of players at the moment," he said. "Peter de Villiers has some options in terms of selection. The first test in Durban (June 20th) will be a most important clash because it will set the benchmark for the series.
"He could choose a lot of players from a top-class Sharks side because they'd have home ground advantage, but the negative is that they might have come straight off a gruelling Super 14 final.
"If winning means choosing two or three overseas-based players, then you do that. You'd be crazy if you don't and they'd have more time to prepare, plus they would understand the opposition they're coming up against," added White, who was in Johannesburg, to launch his academy for schoolboy rugby coaches.
South Africa lost the last series against the Lions in 1997 2-1, when a Jeremy Guscott drop goal at the death gave the Lions an 18-15 victory in the second test at Durban for a decisive 2-0 series lead.
White said there were two pitfalls South Africa needed to avoid if they were to avenge the defeat.
"In 1997, the Springboks outscored the Lions nine tries to three but lost the series because they didn't have a goalkicker.
"In 1974 (won 3-0 by the Lions), the selectors tried to swap the players around - we used 33 in the four tests. So this time there's got to be consistency in selection."
The second test this year will be played in Pretoria on June 27th and the third in Johannesburg on July 4th.
