The "Beast" and experienced lock Victor Matfield are among four players replaced by South Africa coach Peter De Villiers for Saturday's rugby union Test against Italy.

Prop Tendai Mtawarira and 32-year-old Matfield have both been rested with Wian du Preez coming in for his debut at loosehead while Andries Bekker will play at lock.

Adriaan Strauss replaces injured hooker Bismarck du Plessis and Danie Rossouw will play at flanker instead of Schalk Burger, who is also injured.

As well as Du Preez, two more uncapped players will begin on the bench, scrum-half Francois Hougaard and flanker Jean Deysel.

Italy coach Nick Mallett, a South African, has made five changes to his team with the biggest surprise being the benching of Stade Francais flanker Mauro Bergamasco.

Simone Favaro comes in for his first start for the Azzurri to replace Bergamasco while centre Gonzalo Canale is replaced by Alberto Sgarbi, who will also earn his first start for Italy.

Simon Picone replaces Tito Tebaldi at scrum-half, Matteo Pratichetti is in for Kaine Robertson on the wing and Fabio Ongaro takes over from Leonardo Ghiraldini at hooker.

Italy also line up with two South African-born locks in Quentin Geldenhuys and Carlo Antonio del Fava.

De Villiers explained he was forced into resting Matfield and the Beast due to fatigue following last week's 20-13 loss to France in Toulouse.

"We were very worried when we saw the stats a week ago of how much the players have played this year," he said.

"You see they've played almost 1000 minutes, which is quite worrying, so we just thought it was the right time to give these guys a rest."

South Africa, the reigning world and Tri-Nations champions, actually come into the match off a terrible run of three straight defeats, including two to English clubs Leicester (22-17) and Saracens (24-23).

Although two of those defeats were handed to their weakened midweek team, it is hardly the form expected of a team of South Africa's stature.

After all it was a near second-string New Zealand who beat Italy 20-6 in Milan last weekend, although De Villiers doesn't seem too worried.

"We've lost three games on the scoreboard on this tour but I think we won much more," he said.

"We actually lost only one game that really matters to us, that's the one against France."

Italy enjoyed reasonable success in limiting New Zealand's expansive game last weekend and conceded only one try but Springboks winger Brian Habana is not worried about coming up against similarly stifling tactics.

Teams (15-1)

Italy: Luke McLean; Matteo Pratichetti, Alberto Sgarbi, Gonzalo Garcia, Mirco Bergamasco; Craig Gower, Simon Piccone; Sergio Parisse, Alessandro Zanni, Simone Favaro; Quintin Geldenhuys, Carlo Antonio Del Fava; Martin Castrogiovanni, Fabio Ongaro, Salvatore Perugini. Replacements: Leonardo Ghiraldini, Ignacio Rouyet, Antonio Pavanello, Josh Sole, Mauro Bergamasco, Tito Tebaldi, Gonzalo Canale

South Africa: Zane Kirchner; JP Pietersen, Jaque Fourie, Adi Jacobs, Bryan Habana; Morne Steyn, Fourie du Preez; Ryan Kankowski, Dannie Rossouw, Heinrich Brussow; Andries Bekker, Bakkies Botha; John Smit (capt), Adriaan Strauss, Wian du Preez. Replacements: Tendai Mtawarira, BJ Botha, Victor Matfield, Jean Deysel, Francois Hougaard, Ruan Pienaar, Wynand Olivier

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