BOBBY Windsor – the man who tipped Wales to win the Grand Slam last season – goes one step further by backing them to beat world champions South Africa at the Millennium Stadium tomorrow.

But Windsor insists Wales will have to get the better of the heavyweight Springbok pack and urges the forwards to sacrifice themselves if they are to come out on top.

Do that and Windsor believes Wales possess a matchwinner in Shane Williams who he rates a better wing than South Africa’s Bryan Habana.

Windsor, who won 28 caps, knows what it’s like to be on the winning side against South Africa, being a member of the most successful British Lions team ever to leave these shores in 1974 when they won the Test series 3-0 and drew the other.

And he maintains rugby hasn’t changed – you have to win the battle up front and then let the backs take over.

“That’s what we did,” he recalled. “We took them on up front, we sacrificed ourselves because we knew if we did that we had the backs to beat them with Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennett, Ian McGeechan, Dick Milliken, J J Williams and J P R Williams.

“That’s what we’ve got to do on Saturday, and if we manage it I think we can beat them. Wales will be playing at the stadium for the first time since they won the Grand Slam and they’ve got a good pack of forwards,” he said.

“They’ve got a good scrum with Gethin Jenkins a heavy man, so they should be all right there, the line-out has been good and we’ll see how Andy Powell goes in the back row. Shane Williams can make a spark out of nothing, I’d rather have him on my side than Bryan Habana. Shane is a real class act, he’s not a weak player either and he tackles, though we can’t afford to kick to Habana.

“South Africa don’t seem to know what game to play at the moment, they’re between what they’re trying to do. They won the World Cup and they had a good win in New Zealand, now they’re trying to move the ball when they’re the top scrummaging side in the world and with the size of their forwards they should play that type of game.

“They’re a big, physical side who try to wear you down, but if they try to run around they’ll be doing us a favour. That would suit us, so if we play the right type of game we can beat them”

Windsor doesn’t believe the Springboks will be weakened by switching their hooker and captain John Smit to tight head prop, as it’s something he did comfortably during his career, once for Wales on tour in Japan, for the British Lions in New Zealand in 1977 and on about 30 occasions for Pontypool.

“It’s an easier position to play in,” he said. “The hooker is at fault in the scrum or if the line-out goes wrong, but he’s got nothing to worry about at prop. I don’t think it’ll be a weakness for them, the way you look at the scrum today they virtually put it in the second row anyway! I think referees have been told to just get on with the game. And when I played there wasn’t one weak front row in Wales whereas now one tight head prop gets injured and we’ve had it!”

For all that, Windsor remains confident, predicting: “If our pack can get 50% possession we’ll beat them.”

If he’s right it will be only the second time for Wales to overcome South Africa in 23 attempts stretching back to the first fixture between the rivals in 1906.