Lambie tipped for success

Wellington - Pat Lambie will make his Rugby World Cup debut for South Africa against Fiji here at the weekend with much expected of the rising young Springboks talent.

The 20-year-old Sharks back comes in at fullback, one of six changes from the side that struggled to a 17-16 win over Wales in their opener.

He takes over from Francois Steyn who moves to inside centre in a reshuffled back division aimed at containing the free-flowing rugby they expect to see from the South Sea islanders.

Centre Jacque Fourie is convinced Lambie will make his mark on the competiton in a big way when he runs out for his eighth cap.

"He's a great young talent and it will be great to see him play on the weekend," he said.

""He can join the line with speed, he can even cut the line. He's a great kicker of the ball and he reads the game quite well."

Lambie is the youngest member of the Springboks squad and he will become the fifth-youngest from his country to play a World Cup match.

Both he and Steyn had been carrying injuries picked up in last month's Tri Nations series, and he was left out of the match-day 22 for the Wales game to allow him more time to recover fully.

Fourie also had praise for Steyn, with whom he will line up in midfield against the Fijians.

"Frans is an exciting player. He likes to run with the ball and he likes to take contact as well. You can expect anything when you play next to him," he said.

Assistant coach Gary Gold said that he was looking for his players to make sure they have more possession than they managed against Wales to frustrate Fiji's running game.

"Their mindset and their mentality is to want to play," he said of Fiji.

"They don't come to World Cups to want to defend. So the longer you starve them of possession, the longer you are able to hold on to the ball, and the longer we are able to be disciplined to stay in our structures, then I think the more we can break them down."