Ireland coach Warren Gatland believes he has the personnel to cause an upset against the Springbok tourists this Sunday at Lansdowne Road.

Gatland has made four changes to the side which routed Japan 78-9 last week.

Girvan Dempsey comes in at full-back for Geordan Murphy; Rob Henderson replaces Shane Horgan at inside centre, and Gary Longwell and Eric Miller take over from Paddy Johns and Andy Ward at lock and blindside flanker respectively.

Murphy will play for Ireland A against South Africa in Limerick on Wednesday night, and the other three drop down to the replacements' bench for Sunday's Test.

Gatland admits he had a lot of hard thinking to do before he came up with the new formula - but he believes it was time well spent.

He said: "We feel that Eric Miller is the right sort of player for the challenge of South Africa - and that is no reflection on the form of Andy Ward.

"Like the other changes we made, it was a very tight call.

"Likewise, we have a gut feeling about Gary Longwell.

"It's true that he won his first full cap only as a replacement against Japan. But he has been around the representative scene for a long time and has been playing very well for Ulster this season."

Gatland's assistant Eddie O'Sullivan explained the reasoning behind the switch in the threequarters.

"We feel that Rob Henderson's strength will be a factor on Sunday," he said.

"Shane Horgan is a bit unlucky. But to have played him on the wing would have been a harsh decision, given the excellent performances of both Denis Hickie and Tyrone Howe against Japan."

Gatland accepts his team will have their work cut out against the Springboks but insists they will be up to the job.

"Any South African team offers a major challenge," he said.

"But our guys are in no way apprehensive and are looking forward to Sunday's demands.

"On the day, we're quite sure that none of them will be found wanting."

Team:

G Dempsey (Terenure College); D Hickie (St Mary's College), B O'Driscoll (Blackrock College), R Henderson (London Wasps), T Howe (Ballymena); R O'Gara (Cork Constitution), P Stringer (Shannon); P Clohessy (Young Munster), K Wood (Harlequins, captain), J Hayes (Shannon), G Longwell (Ballymena), M O'Kelly (St Mary's College), E Miller (Terenure College), K Dawson (London Irish), A Foley (Shannon).

Replacements: F Sheahan (Cork Constitution), J Fitzpatrick (Dungannon), P Johns (Dungannon), A Ward (Ballymahinch), B O'Meara (Cork Constitution), D Humphreys (Dungannon), S Horgan (Lansdowne).