Springbok captain John Smit expects Italy to be full of confidence when they face off tomorrow. However, the Boks' desperation to put their poor showings behind them might just be too much for the home team. Although Italy lost to New Zealand last week, their media have been raving about their performance.

The Italians will target the Boks' front row as it is seen as the home team's strength and the Boks Achilles heel. But the referee, Ireland's Alain Roland, will play a significant role. Last week Stuart Dickenson favoured the Italian scrum, was reprimanded and subsequently sent for lessons.

Smit says the Italians were allowed greater advantage in the scrums than they possibly were legally entitled to and they capitalized on that and players are not going to find much more than big scrums and big line out drives.

Smit is looking forward to taking up the challenge with some fresh faces alongside him. Wian Du Preez, Francois Hougaard and Jean Deysel's inclusion have provided a fresh spark and Smit hopes this will add to the motivation of turning a dismal tour around.