Coach Peter de Villiers and the selectors have made six changes, including two positional, to the Springbok starting XV that faced Italy last week for Saturday’s final test of 2009 at Croke Park in Dublin against Ireland.
The Official SA Rugby web site says the following:
In the front row, Tendai Mtawarira returns to the starting XV in place of Wian du Preez and BJ Botha starts at tighthead with captain John Smit moving to hooker in the place of Adriaan Strauss.
Victor Matfield returns to the starting XV, replacing Andries Bekker, Schalk Burger is back at flank with Danie Rossouw moving from the side of the scrum to number eight. There is one change to the backline with Wynand Olivier starting at 12 in place of the injured Adi Jacobs.
There are four more changes on the bench – hooker Bismarck du Plessis and prop CJ van der Linde return from injury, whilst Irish-based centre Jean de Villiers is recalled and flank Dewald Potgieter is included in the Test 22 for the first time.
Smit will equal Percy Montgomery’s record as the most capped Springbok against Ireland (six caps), while Jaque Fourie will equal Jean de Villers’ record as the most capped Springbok centre (43 Tests).
The Springbok team is: (test caps in brackets):
15 Zane Kirchner (3)
14 JP Pietersen (32)
13 Jaque Fourie (53)
12 Wynand Olivier (26)
11 Bryan Habana (56)
10 Morne Steyn (11)
9 Fourie du Preez (54)
8 Danie Rossouw (45)
7 Schalk Burger (54)
6 Heinrich Brüssow (12)
5 Victor Matfield (91)
4 Bakkies Botha (65)
3 BJ Botha (18)
2 John Smit (92) – captain
1 Tendai Mtawarira (21)
Reserves:
16 Bismarck du Plessis (31)
17 CJ van der Linde (57)
18 Andries Bekker (2)
19 Jean Deysel (1)
20 Dewald Potgieter (uncapped)
21 Ruan Pienaar (36)
22 Jean de Villiers (54)
Irish – I like the way you stand by your team, it should be like that. For your sake i hope that the Irish have a blinder on Saturday. And of course i hope the boks also have a blinder. 😆 Then with all things equal, may the world champions truimph
Irish – congrats on your 600 posts.
114 – Irish,
Wind/rain/floods in Ireland. SA could have extended a hand and offered to change venues and had the game at Ellis Park altitude and all, sun on the back, nice hard fields running rugga…. 😆
Anyways guys – have a great evening – need to prepare some work for tomorrow. Have a great evening AND may the best team win. If we loose on Saturday I will be the first to congratulate you guys without any excuses. Promise you all that in black and white. I will toast the winners and the losers…just an Irish thing…Ciao
Thanks Snoek – does that warrant a drink? We look for any excuse to celebrate… 😆
124 – Irish
Cheers man, have a good night.
116 i hear ye,
But others also went trough this before, think off poor Brent. That is why the Sharks fall out in competitions where they dominated the first half of a competition. The players confidence is broken and it counts when the chips are down.
Watch this year with the 12 loose forwards you signed up. Who is who. You tell me the names of them?
112 – Snoek,
I say so too. The weather is going to be tought to play ing. Going to see a lot of kicking. Boks by 5. That is my feeling. Hoping to end on a high. Sorry Irish.
Yeah we like Ellis Park…Puma remember.
meant – tough not tought.
125 – Irish
I checked your photo, and you look like a party animal. 😆
@101 – He was one of the reasons the Springboks won the world cup. You can’t blame him alone for the Sharks’ loss in the Super 14, Percy also missed some easy kicks earlier in that game. Yes Frans’ kick(s) would’ve secured a victory for the Sharks, but it’s those black jerseys… He kicked that long range kick in the world cup final that basically won us the game. I’m not a Jean de Villiers fan, I was one when he came onto the scene. I remember that one game before the 2003 RWC where he ran the Bulls into pieces. But he’s injured too much, and not a good enough defender. He also gets rattled, that 19 – 0 loss to the All Blacks in Cape Town was unacceptable. He got rattled and panicked, made some shocking decisions. Jean de Villiers’ million intercept attempts a game is also a weakness.
I like Frans Steyn at centre because he’s a big physical guy not scared to tackle, he’s a good line-breaker, and he adds huge value with his booming boot to any side. His reactions is a bit slow for a fly-half, but inside-centre is definitely his best position in my opinion.
Mannetjies Roux also made mistakes. Cost his team, but I’ve never heard anyone who saw him play that he was a minus in their books… Frans Steyn is a great player. I’m glad he moved to France I’m really hoping that he develops some of his skills that was overlooked by the Sharks and the Springboks.
@128 Puma – naaa don’t be buddy – after all its a game and game should be played and supported by sportsman – that is what I am – can take it and give it. You have never heard one excuse cross my lips…if you win i congratulate – if we win I never share in anyone’s sadness…drink to all…have to run…have to prepare for court tomorrow…cheers all.
109 – Super, If it was not for the wet conditions would have had Boks by 12. With the weather there it is going to be tough. Boks by 5.
If we still had Adi. Ireland by 5.
Adi was superb last year but this year he has lost pace, maybe with that shoulder inury and he was going to play out of position.
meant injury. Carol will be proud of me. Still making all my typos 😀
@131 Snoek – I’m 27 and often get denied entry into night clubs and often have to produce my Identity card. That pic was taken two weeks ago and I was gone beyond my years…lol..Sure is good checking out who I’m blogging with…When is Puma gonna place his pic on the picture hall of SHAME…lol…yeah I party hard buddy…get into shit all the time…but shit happens and I’m usually part of it mate…
133 – Irish, I will be the same on Sat. Your team win we just shake hands and have a beer together. Across the seas.
Good to catch up Irish. Cheers mate.
132
that minus statement is a fact in my eyes, yes he can go into a plus , but currently his value is not in the positive for ME.
Those 2 looong penalties he scored earlier this year was spectacular, but from a angle Morne kicked one under severe pressure too. So although i also rate them as 2 of SA Rugbys best kicks that was not enough for me to take him into + territory.
Outta here…Can’t wait for Saturday… 😆
136 – Irish
Ha ha, iv’e been known to party hard, but my kids look at me now for guidance, so have cooled down alot. But still enjoy the occasional party.
132 – Van, Good post by you mate. Jeepers how did Sharks let that youngster out of their grips. Crazy. Also Saru should have stepped in and got him to stay at home at all costs until after the world cup.
He is a inside centre or a FB. Enjoy him in both positions.
That kick in the world cup can still see him taking it. So calm and boom it goes over. He had only just turned 20 then. This year he won us that last test in NZ with those 3 monster kicks.
138 – Super now if he was a Bull, I think you would feel different.
Only 22 years of age? Shocking to have let such talent leave our shores. Shame to the Sharks (That is my team as you know) but especially shame to Saru. They should have kept him here at all costs.
Puma, don’t wory about Fransie, he will be back. And he will win us many games in the future.
Super and Snoek, How you see the cricket going on Friday night? Not so sure about Gibbs. I would have played Bosman. What are both your thoughts?
Now i really hope that conditions is not too bad game day. It can make make things very difficult for us.
143 – Snoek, Hope he returns to the Sharks. I doubt it though because of some daft supporters booing him a lot of the times. They will see now what they had now that he is gone.
Hope that BJ too comes back to the Sharks.
Bosman can be just as erratic as Gibbs, but our problems are not with our batters, rather with our bowlers. The English have a good team at the moment, must be the SA influence.
147 – Snoek agree. There Batsmen are playing really well.
Hope our bowlers bowl better on Friday night and we bat better too. Need to win the toss there being a day/night game.
I like Bosman then like you say maybe a bit like Gibbs but would have given Bosman a chance.
Okay out of here now going to watch Boots. Catch up tomorrow.
Cheers all.
146 – Puma
I also hope that BJ can come back. But PDV must have a talk with him and let him know if he will be in his future plans or not. It’s only fair on the players to know how the coach sees them.
Puma if he was a Bull he would have been settled in one position and would have come trough the ranks. He would most probably be a very good FB now.
Look my friend were do we start with him again when he is back, 10 ? 12 ? 15? no one knows.
If it is 12 he fights with the experience of JdV and Wo and AJ our coaches fav.
If he plays 15 , yes there it would be easier , but still the career of Zane is a career of a FB, from Griquas to the Bulls almost 4 years. And if FS could learn his trade in the Bok jersey why not give Zane 15 games and follow his growth and improvement. What makes FS so special, because JW phoned his school teacher?
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