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Wellington - While a cloud of doubt hangs over the availability of Victor Matfield, Springbok lock Johann Muller is likely to become a central figure in the aspirations of the defending Rugby World Cup champions.
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Matfield limped off with a hamstring injury in the second half of the Springboks' 17-16 win over Wales in their opening match in Wellington, New Zealand, on Sunday.
This gave Muller, who turns out for Irish club Ulster, his first run at Test level since the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa.
"It was good to get out there. I haven't been out there for a while," Muller said.
"Four weeks ago I certainly didn't think that I was going to be in the World Cup, firstly, and now I'm playing Test rugby which is obviously a huge bonus for me.
"I'm really enjoying it and loving the spirit in the side and being back with all the guys."
The experienced forward, who captained the Boks against the All Blacks in the 2007 Tri-Nations series, admitted they had not been at their best in their opening game.
"Obviously we are happy with the win, and it is four points in the bag, even though we are not happy with the way we played," he said.
Despite scraping a narrow victory, the world champions showed fighting spirit with their backs against the wall, clawing their way back in the second half after facing a 16-10 deficit.
"That is the great thing about an experienced side like this one," Muller said.
"Even though we were down by six points, the belief was there and so was the calmness.
"We knew what we needed to do to get back into the game, and with the quality of rugby that they played, to get back into it and to get that vital try with 10 minutes to go, shows that there is a lot of character and composure in this side."
The Springboks lost both their first-choice locks - Matfield and Bakkies Botha - to injury in the opening week of the tournament.
The title holders square up against Fiji in their second game in Wellington on Saturday.
