Long-term absentees Fourie du Preez and Heinrich Brussow headed the extensive list of returning Springbok stars as coach Peter de Villiers brought back many of the players that will lead the Boks’ world title defense in a month’s time.

Australia named experienced second-rower Nathan Sharpe and No. 8 Scott Higginbotham in his run-on debut for Saturday’s game at Durban, the only changes to its starting team after a 30-14 defeat in New Zealand slowed the Wallabies’ own progress ahead of the Sept. 9-Oct. 23 World Cup.

The game at Kings Park will go some way to telling which of these teams — the only countries to have won the World Cup twice — will be in prime position to challenge the No. 1-ranked All Blacks at rugby’s top tournament.

“The Springboks side (is) on a scale of one that has a lot of history, they understand the meaning of it, they understand the importance of it,” Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said. “This is their first outing with a very short stretch before the World Cup, so they’ll want to start well. They’ll want to make a statement.

“If we’re in any way underdone ... we’ll get spanked, it’s that simple.”

Australia is ahead in the pecking order after a slick 39-20 win over South Africa’s second-stringers in Sydney to open the Tri-Nations, which has been relegated to a World Cup warmup event this season.

The Springboks hope to stamp their authority with their top players a month before World Cup kickoff.

As expected, De Villiers recalled 13 of the senior players who were left at home for heavy Tri-Nations defeats in Australasia to his starting lineup for the world titleholder’s first home test of the season. It’s also South Africa’s penultimate game before the World Cup.

Scrumhalf Du Preez and flanker Brussow are set for their first international appearances since November 2009 because of long-term injuries and rehabilitation, while locks Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha, frontrowers Jannie du Plessis and Tendai Mtawarira, No. 8 Pierre Spies and backs Butch James, Jean de Villiers, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana, JP Pietersen and Frans Steyn return from more recent niggles.

Critics said the Springboks were, in fact, resting all those senior players against Tri-Nations rules. South Africa denied that and southern hemisphere rugby body SANZAR decided the injuries were legitimate.

Either way, South Africa has now called up its big guns with coach De Villiers, significantly, describing Saturday’s team as the strongest he’s picked for two years.

“This team has vast experience and a strong leadership core,” De Villiers said, “but that counts for nothing at kick off on Saturday. The Australian team are no respecter of reputations ... and we know just how dangerous they can be.

“It’s great to have Fourie and Heinrich back as they were two of the leading players in world rugby when they last played in 2009. This is the first step back for them, but we’re looking to them to have the same impact in due course.”

After effectively conceding its away games in the Tri-Nations — amid some public dismay back home — South Africa has little excuse for a defeat in Durban with 10 well-rested former World Cup winners back in its 15.

Australia, though, has enough reason to be confident having won three of its last four games against the world champion.

Frans Steyn, JP Pietersen, Jaque Fourie, Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana, Butch James, Fourie du Preez; Pierre Spies, Danie Rossouw, Heinrich Brussow, Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Jannie du Plessis, John Smit (captain), Tendai Mtawarira. Bismarck du Plessis, Gurthro Steenkamp, Gerhard Mostert, Jean Deysel, Francois Hougaard, Morne Steyn, Gio Aplon.

Kurtley Beale, James O’Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Pat McCabe, Digby Ioane, Quade Cooper, Will Genia; Scott Higginbotham, David Pocock, Rocky Elsom (captain), James Horwill, Nathan Sharpe, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, Sekope Kepu. Saia Fainga’a, Salesi Ma’afu, Sitaleki Timani, Ben McCalman, Radike Samo, Luke Burgess, Anthony Fainga’a.