WALLABIES captain Stirling Mortlock will undergo a serious test of his leadership skills this week when he plays a major role in the team’s preparation for the might of the Springboks in Cape Town on Saturday.

Mortlock, in tandem with Wallabies assistant coaches Jim Williams and Richard Graham, will be in charge of the team’s schedule for the main training sessions this week, following the news that head coach Robbie Deans will not arrive in Cape Town until Wednesday night.

Deans is in Christchurch for the funeral tomorrow of his father, Tony, who died on Friday night, aged 83.

In Deans’s absence, Mortlock will be involved in the running of the two main Australian training sessions this week – the first to be held tonight [Sydney time] in Cape Town, before another practice tomorrow.

After the team’s capitulation against the All Blacks in Auckland last month, it is time for real leadership within the Wallabies’ senior group, and team officials will take close note of how Mortlock fares in rallying the troops this week.

Mortlock said last night from Cape Town that Deans’s late arrival would not affect Test week preparations.

‘‘We are lucky that we have had a number of weeks to prepare for this Test,’’ Mortlock said. ‘‘The senior players and coaching staff have met over what our intentions will be this week. From my end and the other senior players, it is about making sure we are really tight with the coaching staff and very clear with the entire group what we’re trying to do and what we’re focused on.’’

Williams said he and Graham would liaise with Deans by telephone until his arrival. The announcement of the Test team will not be made until after Deans rejoins the Wallabies.

‘‘The players and management are well versed about our routine, and there won’t be any deviation from what we usually do in a Test week,’’ Williams said. ‘‘Following the Springboks’ win over New Zealand [in Durban], we are going to look at some aspects and make certain we finetune our game plan.’’

The Wallabies watched the second Springboks-All Blacks Test in their Cape Town hotel, and were struck by the physicality of the home team. They also took note of the Springboks’ tactic of kicking to keep the All Blacks in their own quarter, while Morne Steyn’s precise penalty goal kicking stressed the importance of team discipline.

‘‘It was a very solid, almost complete performance by the Springboks,’’ Mortlock said. ‘‘The set piece was excellent. Their restarts plus the ability to contest possession was outstanding, while Morne Steyn had a great game steering their team around.

‘‘It just reinforces the challenge ahead of us. The Springboks are the world champions, and we are playing them on their home turf, but we’re looking forward to that immensely.’’

Staying on the right side of next week’s referee, Ireland’s Alain Rolland, is paramount.

‘‘The Auckland game was a good learning experience for us in how important discipline is,’’ Mortlock said. ‘‘It’s a big piece of the puzzle as far as your ability to maintain pressure on the opposition. Watching the Springbok game confirmed it was a massive factor in Test football. For us, it has been a focus since the Auckland loss, and the Durban Test reinforced it.’’

Williams pushed a similar line. ‘‘The Springboks certainly exert a good pressure game, while their kicking was excellent. So we have to be right up with their discipline,’’ he said.

‘‘When the All Blacks ran it [the ball] against them, it was probably not the ideal time. A couple of times there they should have forced the ball and went back to 22 metre restarts. They certainly didn’t handle that pressure well, and the Boks capitalised on it.’’

RUGBYHEAVEN (AUS)