Assistant coach Deon Davids hinted that the Springboks are holding an ace up their sleeve to outsmart France in Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final.

The Springboks will tackle tournament hosts France in the fourth 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final, in Paris.

It has become customary under Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber for the Boks to announce their team as early as possible in the week – usually on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

However, the official World Rugby schedule has the Boks down to name their matchday-23 on Friday, prompting speculation over whether the South Africans are planning to unleash something special on France.

Watch: Les Bleus on red alert for Brutal Boks

“At this level, teams analyse each other to the bone, so you have to find ways to outsmart the opposition, while staying to your core – the things that are important to you.

“That will stay part of our approach – to find that edge to doing something differently. It won’t be something new, in terms of our approach. That’s how we look at our strategy going into this game.”

The Springboks have gone against convention at the world cup by naming seven forwards on their bench – first in the warm-up against New Zealand and then in the crucial pool clash against Ireland.