Islanders look to break their duck

The Springboks can expect to meet a highly motivated and supremely confident team when they face the Pacific Islanders in their historic one-off Test at the Express Advocate Stadium in Gosford on Saturday.

According to Islanders coach John Boe his team is ready to take it the next step up, after impressive performances against Australia and New Zealand in the past fortnight.

Unfortunately for the composite team - made up of players from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa - they lost 29-14 (to the Wallabies) and 41-26 (to the All Blacks).

But they gained enough from those two matches to have the self belief that they can topple the Springboks.

"If we can make another step up, we've got a chance," Boe told the Australia news agency AAP.

"You can't stand still, you either go forward or backward and we've got to make another step.

"I believe we've made a step after Australia, but we've got to do another one."

Boe admitted that beating the Springboks would require something special and an entirely different challenge from that which they faced against the Kiwis and Australians.

"They are a physical team, they'll take it to us."

Boe told AAP that the Islanders' strong showing against the All Blacks and Wallabies was because their were "not intimidated" by All Black or Australian jerseys.

"We have taken the game to the opposition. We've scored good tries. We haven't waited for them to make the play.

"So if we can just continue along those lines and minimise the mistakes, which are dogging us at the moment, then we can compete."