South Africa 'A' will be hoping to clinch their two-match series against the French Barbarians when the sides clash in Orlando on Friday.
Both sides gave the ball plenty of air last week in their opening clash in Durban and will be expected to continue where they left off in that encounter as rugby returns to one of South Africa's iconic football venues.
The last time rugby was played at the Orlando Stadium was in 2010 when the Bulls beat the Stormers in an epic encounter in that year's Super Rugby Final.
In fact, for two weeks in May 2010, nearly 80,000 rugby supporters flocked to Orlando Stadium for the Bulls’ semi-final against the Crusaders and final against the Stormers, as Loftus Versfeld was not available due to the Soccer World Cup that year.
The South Africa 'A' side will be brimming with confidence after claiming a 36-28 victory in last weekend's encounter although both sides will also be looking to improve, especially in holding onto possession as they conceded too many turnovers.
The home side looked rusty during the early parts of last week's encounter but once they got into their stride they were full value for their win.
Players who caught the eye in that encounter and who will be hoping to build on their Durban performances include Lwazi Mvovo, Ruan Botha and Sikhumbuzo Notshe, who are the only players in the run-on side that also started last week's match.
The French Barbarians are led, once again, by Frédéric Michalak, who was one of his side's standout performers last weekend.
The veteran playmaker showed that he still has the skill-set to trouble defenders and his impressive showing kept the Baa-baas in the game in Durban until the South Africa 'A' side pulled away in that game's latter stages.
An area of concern for the visitors is their set-piece play, especially their line-outs which was were woeful in Durban as the South Africa 'A' side poached several of the Baa-baas' balls in this department.
The selection of Félix Lambey, who comes into the second row to partner Alexandre Flanquart, and Antoine Erbani and Romain Sazy in the back row will hopefully help them to improve in that crucial facet of play and will also add bulk to their pack.
Players to Watch
For South Africa 'A': In Ox Nche, the South African 'A' side have one of South Africa's best young players in their ranks and he will be keen to build on an impressive showing off the replacements bench last week. The 21-year-old is the prototype of the modern-day prop who performs well at his core duties but is also devastating with ball in hand and he will be difficult to stop if he builds up a head of steam.
For French Barbarians: Keep an eye on livewire scrum-half Yann Lesgourgues, who was one of the French Baa-baas' best players last weekend. The Bordeaux-Bègles number nine impressed with his slick service to his outside backs and showed good awareness by touching the ball on the post when he crossed for the opening try in Durban.
Head-to-head: Lwazi Mvovo was one of the South Africa 'A' side's standout performers in Durban last week and he will be hoping to continue where he left off in that clash. He faces a tough and experienced opponent in Fabrice Estebanez, however, who is himself dangerous with ball in hand and an adept defender. Both players have represented their countries at Test level and will be hoping to use that experience to get the better of each other.
Prediction: Like last weekend's opener, this encounter should also be an entertaining affair but home ground advantage will be the deciding factor. South Africa 'A' to win by five points.
The teams:
South Africa 'A': 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Lwazi Mvovo, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Francois Venter (c) 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Andisa Ntsila, 7 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 6 Chris Cloete, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Ramone Samuels, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Uzair Cassiem, 20 Ruan Ackermann, 21 Jano Vermaak, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 Juan de Jongh
French Barbarians: 15 Julien Dumora, 14 Louis Dupichot, 13 Lucas Dupont, 12 Arnaud Mignardi, 11 Fabrice Estebanez, 10 Frédéric Michalak, 9 Yann Lesgourgues, 8 Marco Tauleigne, 7 Antoine Erbani, 6 Romain Sazy, 5 Alexandre Flanquart, 4 Félix Lambey, 3 Clément Ric, 2 Anthony Etrillard, 1 Khatchik Vartanov
Replacements: 16 Rémi Bonfils, 17 Malik Hamadache, 18 Tommy Raynaud, 19 Arnaud Mela, 20 Anthony Jelonch, 21 Jean-Baptiste Pejoine, 22 Anthony Belleau, 23 Jean-Baptiste Dubie
Date: Friday, June 23
Venue: Orlando Stadium, Soweto
Kick-off: 20:00 local (18:00 GMT)
Referee: Jaco van Heerden (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Lesego Legoete (South Africa), Jaco Pretorius (South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)
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