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Div's selection key - experts

Cape Town - Several local rugby experts feel the Springboks are on the right course in their quest to defend the Webb Ellis Cup, but stressed that coach Peter de Villiers's selections need to be spot on for the rest of the tournament.

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The Boks tackle Samoa at the North Harbour Stadium on Friday in their final group match.

Western Province coach Allister Coetzee told the Rapport newspaper that the best players should play in every game for the remainder of the tournament.

"The key to success will be the correct team selection. The best players have to play in order for the guys to improve in their cohesiveness.

"From here onwards, every game is like a final and the guys need to stay in the present," said Coetzee.

Former Bok coach Rudolf Straeuli also believes team selection is key going forward.

"Peter (De Villiers) will have to decide between trusted combinations or players who are on form. It's only he who could make those decisions and he will have to live and die by them.

"Against Samoa the Boks will need a big pack of forwards and we'll need to scrum like we did against Fiji," said Straeuli.

Straeuli nevertheless feels that the Boks will comfortably dispatch of the Samoans in their next game.

Former Bok prop Ollie le Roux is also confident in South Africa's chances of defending their crown.

"I'm very positive. Not only for the clash against Samoa, but for the rest of the tournament. I can see no reason why the Boks can't be crowned as world champions again.

"Peter (De Villiers) should now just decide on his best combinations. A strong substitutes bench will also be of immense value," he told Rapport.

Former Springbok and 1995 World Cup winner, Chester Williams also believes that the Bok coach should now decide what his best team is to give the team the best opportunity to sharpen up their combinations.

"The battle against Samoa should be used as a dress rehearsal for the quarter-final clash. It's the last chance to mould the team's pattern of play," said Williams.

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