South Africa lock Bakkies Botha says he is "100% fit" and ready to take on the Australian forward pack when the two sides meet in their World Cup quarter-final on Sunday.
Botha, 32, arrived in New Zealand with a chronic Achilles injury which forced him to play bit parts in each of pool games against Fiji and Namibia. Now he's ready to play a full role in the tournament.
"You don't know how frustrating it is. It is all the physical battles I missed against Wales and Samoa," he said in Wellington on Tuesday.
"When I was sitting in the stand, I just wanted to take off my number one jacket (Springbok blazer) and get stuck into it.
"The medical team put a lot of effort into it (fixing the injury). Now I am feeling 100% and must hit the ground running.
He says he's looking forward to the Wallabies match.
"You cannot play test rugby if you have not got a pack that dominates physically and this weekend's battle will be physical as well," he said.
"They are a much more physical side than three or four years ago (and) every test match is a clash of the packs of forwards.''
Botha added:
''The team that loses this weekend is on their way home, so we know what we must produce."
