HELGARD Muller, the latest addition to the South Africans' rugby tour

squad, arrived at Aberdeen Airport shortly after half past one yesterday

afternoon. An hour later he was on the training field in preparation for

his debut for the tourists in the match against a Scottish Select at

Rubislaw this afternoon.

It is the quickest step-up for a tour replacement that I have known:

called up on Sunday, arrived on Monday, playing Tuesday. The newcomer

hardly had time to feel the edge of the south-westerly that had been

strengthening in Aberdeen all day.

Muller was needed to replace Brendan Venter, the centre who damaged

knee ligaments in the Old Anniesland match on Saturday, and the

newcomer's inclusion so soon can be seen as a measure of the South

Africans' confidence that their midweek team can pick themselves up from

their defeat at Melrose.

Only Muller and Krynauw Otto of the tourists' XV for Rubislaw did not

play in the team beaten by Scotland A six days ago. Like Muller, Otto,

second-row replacement for the injured Drikus Hattingh, will be having

his first game of the tour.

Such a speedy debut for Muller could be seen also as an example of the

South Africans' need to protect members of the XV they expect to field

in the international against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.

The selection of Muller and Tinus Linee as centres today would

indicate that the newcomer's younger brother, Piet, who has been on tour

since the start in Wales last month, and Japie Mulder are being saved

for the Test team.

Helgard Muller and Otto will be surrounded today by players who have

much to prove, even if they accept that Test places are no longer up for

grabs. A dozen South Africans have to redeem their own reputations after

defeat by Scotland A last week.

It was a point not lost on Alastair McHarg, the Scottish Select's

coach. ''Scotland A did us no favours,'' the former international

forward remarked after the Scots' training run yesterday morning at

Rubislaw.

McHarg, however, was undismayed by the demands on a XV comprising half

a dozen of his fellow Exiles, six Borderers, and a Midlands front row.

The coach was confident in the experience within his scratch team, even

with only four capped players.

Yet I am concerned that the Scots do not have the number of lineout

personnel to compete with the South Africans' fivesome. Without a fair

share of possession off the touchline, the crucial set-piece area of

modern rugby, the Scots will be struggling to keep pace with the game,

however committed they may be to the cause, however well Ronnie

Kirkpatrick and Greig Oliver can prode the pack on, and however

determined the team are to follow where Scotland A have led.

While the Scots were at Rubislaw, the South Africans' goal-kickers,

Joel Stransky and Gavin Johnson, were there as well, but a morning's

work was not enough for that pair. They were back at their kicking after

today's team had finished three-quarters of an hour's practice in the

afternoon. Such attention to detail would be an example to many others.

Scottish Select - M Dods (Gala); G Sharp (Bristol), F J Harrold, B R S

Eriksson (both London Scottish), M E Appleson (Sale); S W Welsh, G H

Oliver, captain (both Hawick); J J Manson (Dundee HS FP), M W Scott

(Dunfermline), D J Herrington (Dundee HS FP), R R Brown (Melrose), R

Scott (London Scottish), D J Turnbull (Hawick), E W Peters (Bath), R M

Kirkpatrick (Jed-Forest). Replacements - A K Carruthers (Kirkcaldy), A

Donaldson (Currie), K Troup (London Scottish), B L Renwick (Hawick), M G

Browne (Melrose), J A Hay (Hawick).

South Africans - G K Johnson; J Olivier, H L Muller, T Linee, J F van

der Westhuizen; J T Stransky, K B Putt; I S Swart, J Dalton, S J

Hattingh, J J Weise, K Otto, G H Teichmann, C P Strauss (captain), E van

der Bergh. Replacements - P Hendriks, H P le Roux, J H van der

Westhuizen, R A W Straeuli, T G Laubscher, U L Schmidt.

Referee -- G Simmonds (Wales).

* JOHN Kerr, the Watsonians and Edinburgh wing, will replace his

district colleague, Hugh Gilmour, in a Glasgow-Edinburgh Select against

the South African Development XV at Hughenden this evening.

It will be Kerr's second game in four days against South Africans as

he was in the Combined Scottish Districts' team beaten by the Springboks

at Old Anniesland on Saturday.

Today's fixtures

Tour matches - Scottish Select v South Africans (at Rubislaw, 2.0),

Glasgow-Edinburgh XV v South African Development XV (at Hughenden, 7.0).