Andries Bekker will earn just his eighth Springbok cap this Saturday when he runs out against the All Blacks in Cape Town, though he is not looking to fill the boots of Bakkies Botha.

Thanks to an impressive Super 14 campaign for the Stormers this year, Bekker was included in Springbok coach Peter de Villiers' first match-day 22 in June (against Wales in Bloemfontein), and has made an appearance for the Boks in every international since.

Saturday's third Tri-Nations Test against the All Blacks, however, sees the 2.08m lock make his starting debut alongside captain Victor Matfield, in place of the injured Bakkies Botha.

The 24-year-old admitted the absence of a player like Botha would be felt within the side, as he marvelled at the opportunity to play the All Blacks in a starting berth at his home ground.

"We're going to miss Bakkies (Botha), he's a special player," Bekker told a media gathering on Thursday.

"But I'm happy. I'm starting against the All Blacks at Newlands — what more could I ask for?" he added.

The occasion is marked with a hint of irony, as he's not the first Bekker to face South Africa's traditional antipodean rivals.

Andries Bekker's father, lock Hennie Bekker, played two Tests for the Springboks in 1981 — both against New Zealand.

Apart from Bekker's towering physique and his astute line-out capabilities, he plans to bring his own physical approach to the game in the absence of the "enforcer", Bakkies Botha.

"Bakkies plays in his own way, so I will bring my own physical edge to the game," Bekker added.

365

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