Boks beware of 'lucky' Cueto

His reprieve for Saturday night's World Cup Final gives the Cumbrian a crack at extending a three-year sequence of never failing to score against South Africa — three tries in three matches, the last two in direct opposition to Bryan Habana.

Point duty: Cueto celebrates the first of a try treble against South Africa in recent years

"Sometimes you are lucky against certain teams and going into the final with that record gives me a lot of extra confidence," said Cueto.

"I've got a point to prove in terms of personal performance — to myself, my family, my friends, everyone. The World Cup hasn't exactly gone as I would have liked. Now I'm just raring to get out there and show people what I can do. We're in a one-off game — 80 minutes when anything can happen."

Just when he had all but resigned himself to being knocked out of the last three weeks of the tournament, Sale's wing is back in favour, filling the vacancy created by Josh Lewsey's misfortune.

England's preference for Cueto means Mathew Tait, the secondhalf wing replacement against France last weekend, keeps his starting place in midfield and Danny Hipkiss will be on the bench.

Cueto's profile since his country's qualification for the last eight three weeks ago has not so much been low as positively subterranean.

His Test career has gone in fits and starts, from being studiously ignored by Sir Clive Woodward to emerging as an automatic choice under Andy Robinson before recurring injury eliminated him from Brian Ashton's plans for the entire Six Nations.

Having taken months to play himself back into contention, England had barely redeployed him as their full back for the World Cup than he suffered the embarrassment of tweaking a hamstring in roasting temperatures during the warm-up for the friendly against Wales at Twickenham last August.

Despite a far from convincing display in Marseille a fortnight later, Ashton kept him there for the start of the World Cup, the grim slog against the United States.

It left the holders in such a state that England promptly aborted the Cueto full back plan, dropping him along with Joe Worsley and Lawrence Dallaglio.

What the Springboks did to them six days later caused enough confusion for Cueto to be drafted back on the left wing before dropping out again in the reshuffle to accommodate Jason Robinson for the quarter-final against Australia.

Ashton, criticised in recent weeks for tinkering too much with selection, has opted for a straight replacement rather than split his centre pairing by starting as England finished last Saturday night — with Hipkiss at outside centre and Tait on the wing.

"It was a pretty close call but we decided to stick with the centre combination which got us to the final," said Ashton. "Mark has played a lot of Test rugby in the back three and we expect a fair old aerial bombardment in that area."

Cueto is more used to playing on the right, and his scheduled role on the left means he is unlikely to be in direct opposition to Habana, unlike Twickenham on successive Saturdays last November.

Cueto's other try against the Springboks, again at Twickenham three years ago, preceded Habana's first streak of lightning on the Test stage.

"I'm due a try because it's been a while since the last one," said Cueto, referring to the most recent of his South African efforts 11 months ago. "To get the chance on such a massive occasion as the World Cup Final makes it extra special.

"I played in three of the four pool games but it wasn't until the knockout stages that we've shown our true character and ability.

"Unfortunately I got injured in the Tonga game, then missed out against Australia. After that, it was difficult to change a winning team until Josh got injured. We're mates off the field and I said to him: 'I'm sorry for what's happened' but that's sport for you."

Four of the England players who started the last World Cup Final four years ago will be back for this one — Robinson, Jonny Wilkinson, Phil Vickery and Ben Kay.

They will be joined by three survivors from the bench in Sydney — Mike Catt, Lewis Moody and Martin Corry.

ENGLAND

(clubs and minutes each player has played so far in the tournament)

15. JASON ROBINSON (unattached) 285

14. PAUL SACKEY (Wasps) 387

13. MATHEW TAIT (Newcastle) 348

12. MIKE CATT (London Irish) 276

11. MARK CUETO (Sale) 232

10. JONNY WILKINSON (Newcastle) 320

9. ANDY GOMARSALL (Harlequins)345

1. ANDREW SHERIDAN (Sale) .462

2. MARK REGAN (Bristol) 237

3. PHIL VICKERY (capt, Wasps) 201

4. SIMON SHAW(Wasps)360

5. BEN KAY (Leicester) 480

6. MARTIN CORRY (Leicester) 401

7. LEWIS MOODY (Leicester) 248

8. NICK EASTER (Harlequins) 378

Replacements

GEORGE CHUTER (Leicester) 233

MATT STEVENS (Bath) 279

LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO (Wasps) 118

JOE WORSLEY (Wasps) 179

PETER RICHARDS (London Irish) 44

TOBY FLOOD (Newcastle) 27

DANNY HIPKISS (Leicester) 61