As the Wallabies prepare for a high-ball assault from the Springboks, South African players have attempted to destabilise the visitors by saying their best is yet to come.

Despite two comfortable Tri-Nations victories over the All Blacks and a series triumph over the British and Irish Lions, the Springboks are claiming the Wallabies could be the first opponents this season to be the victims of the complete performance.

While some are calling this the best Springboks team in decades, even of all time, the players have not been lulled into over-playing their strengths – as demonstrated when utility back Francois Steyn claimed their 31-19 win over New Zealand in Durban last Saturday was nothing special. He even insisted the Springboks had not even started playing rugby yet.

‘‘It was a great result, but we didn’t do anything … we just kicked the ball, chased and they made mistakes,’’ Steyn told South African media. ‘‘We really didn’t play much rugby, but forced a lot of errors and Morne [Steyn] had his kicking boots on to punish them.’’

Then he really twisted the knife into the Wallabies.

‘‘We still have a long way to go as a team,’’ Steyn said. ‘‘If we come to a point at which we produce performances like the one against Australia at Ellis Park last year [in which the Wallabies were thrashed 53-8], every week then we can say we’re on form.’’

The Springboks’ pursuit of excellence was typified by their coach, Peter de Villiers, who deliberately downplayed his side’s performance in Durban, pointing out: ‘‘We haven’t achieved anything [in the Tri-Nations series] yet’’.

‘‘We are not as great as we think we should be,’’ de Villiers said in a clear warning to his team to keep producing. It indicates that the Springboks, who are wary of the Wallabies structure, are not about to ease up on the tempo after such convincing triumphs over the superpowers of both the northern and southern hemispheres.

The Springboks are again expected to focus on midfield kicking, which prompted uncertainty among the New Zealanders – especially when under a succession of bombs deep in their half. In the face of the pressure, the All Blacks lost their composure, trying repeatedly to run the ball back only to get squashed by the home defence.

Tuesday, the Springboks named an unchanged starting line-up for the Test – with the Wallabies expected to do likewise when their team is announced on Thursday.

REPORT RUGBYHEAVEN