NO WEARING sunglasses on the flight. No mystery potions. No schemes which force the players to sleep as soon as the flight leaves Sydney. No hypnotists on board. Forget all of that.

Wallabies sides have headed to South Africa with all sorts of cunning plans to overcome jet-lag and the effects of high altitude. All have failed, as evidenced by the fact no Australian team has won in that part of the world since Stirling Mortlock kicked a sideline penalty in the final minutes to secure a 19-18 victory in Durban in 2000.

This morning, when the Wallabies head for Johannesburg, they will try something completely different. They will treat it as an ordinary flight. Just another overseas trip. As Mortlock said yesterday: "First and foremost it is not about crazy, hair-brained schemes."

"Doing out-there schemes never really works, because they emphasise the fact that you are going over there, and that it's a tough job," the Wallabies captain said. "We will instead be doing everything in our power to ensure that we adjust as quickly as possible - getting out on the paddock, training, and doing as well as we can. We know it's hard, but this group is very excited about the prospects."

To ensure they acclimatise quickly, half the Wallabies squad will attend tomorrow's Springboks-All Blacks Tri Nations Test in Cape Town, discovering from the other side of the fence how impassioned the local support is. Rather than hiding from it, they have instead decided to get in amongst it.

"It's good to taste the atmosphere, the environment and the hostile crowd you may face," Mortlock said.

Mortlock would not officially disclose his opinion on who would win the Test, but, judging from his comments, he appeared to be edging towards the Springboks. "Against Argentina, they [South Africa] smoked them," he said. "They're playing as they should be. They're the world champions, and they have a huge amount of confidence. No doubt the win they had in Dunedin has spurred their confidence on. I think it will be a great game."