Springbok centre Frans Steyn will on Saturday play in his 50th Test for South Africa when they take on Argentina in the opening round of The Castle Rugby Championship at DHL Newlands in Cape Town.
sarugby
The 25-year-old Steyn, who made his Test debut against Ireland in 2006, will become the 23rd player to reach 50 Test caps for South Africa. He is back at inside centre after missing the third England Test in June because of his own wedding.
Apart from Steyn’s return, two Springboks who have yet to feature this year are also back.
They are lock Andries Bekker and Lwazi Mvovo. Mvovo takes over from the injured JP Pietersen at right wing while Bekker replaces Juandré Kruger in the middle row for his first Test in more than two years.
Keegan Daniel will start his first Test for South Africa and comes in at No 8 for the injured Pierre Spies.
In the only other changes from the team that played England in Port Elizabeth, Willem Alberts returns to flank in the place of Jacques Potgieter, who is on the bench, while Zane Kirchner is back at fullback for Gio Aplon.
In total there are five changes from the team that started in Port Elizabeth. The Springbok team has a combined total of 432 Test caps for this Test – 157 amongst the forwards and 275 for the backs.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer decided to stick with combinations for the Test against Argentina – the front row and loose forwards are from The Sharks, the locks play together for the DHL Stormers and the halfbacks are from the Vodacom Bulls.
“We’ve now been together for the June Tests and have had a good week to prepare, but we are still rather new as a team and it’s good that the players know each other,” said Meyer.
“Andries was always in our plans and it was a setback to lose him in June, while Lwazi has been impressive this year and I know he can fill the huge boots of JP. We’re still a young team when it comes to experience, but this is Test rugby and there is no place to hide.
“The players have been working very hard on the training field and we now need to translate that to the Test. Argentina will be fired up as they are making their debut in The Castle Rugby Championship and we know they will be a tough opponent on Saturday.”
There are two players on the bench that will be making their debut should they get game time – prop Pat Cilliers and utility back JJ Engelbrecht. Pat Lambie is also back on the bench after missing the Test in Port Elizabeth because of an ankle injury.
“We decided to go for these two because of their utility value – Pat Cilliers can scrum on both sides and JJ covers outside centre and wing, which JP Pietersen used to do for us,” said Meyer.
The Springbok team to face Argentina in Cape Town is:
15. Zane Kirchner (Vodacom Blue Bulls) 15 caps
14. Lwazi Mvovo (The Sharks) 4 caps
13. Jean de Villiers (captain, DHL Western Province) 75 caps
12. Frans Steyn (The Sharks) 49 caps
11. Bryan Habana (DHL Western Province) 77 caps
10. Morné Steyn (Vodacom Blue Bulls) 37 caps
9. Francois Hougaard (Vodacom Blue Bulls) 18 caps
8. Keegan Daniel (The Sharks) 3 caps
7. Willem Alberts (The Sharks) 11 caps
6. Marcell Coetzee (The Sharks) 3 caps
5. Andries Bekker (DHL Western Province) 24 caps
4. Eben Etzebeth (DHL Western Province) 3 caps
3. Jannie du Plessis (The Sharks) 33 caps
2. Bismarck du Plessis (vice-captain, The Sharks) 45 caps
1. Tendai Mtawarira (The Sharks) 35 caps
Replacements
16. Adriaan Strauss (Toyota FS Cheetahs) 12 caps
17. Pat Cilliers (MTN Golden Lions) uncapped
18. Flip van der Merwe (Vodacom Blue Bulls) 14 caps
19. Jacques Potgieter (Vodacom Blue Bulls) 1 cap
20. Ruan Pienaar (Ulster, Northern Ireland) 54 caps
21. Pat Lambie (The Sharks) 13 caps
22. JJ Engelbrecht (Vodacom Blue Bulls) uncapped
@ Bullscot:
@ Bullscot:
The Bok team in itself does not worry me too much. Yes you might pick 2 others, Puma maybe 6 others, i might be completely happy with the team.
To me the secret lies in how could THE TEAM understand and implement the game plan.
But more serious is how dynamic and futuristic is that plan. Is the other backup plans and are they fitting into the team.
Take a player like Franscios Hougaart, although HM likes him and picks him, most of us feel he is not fitting in to the game plan or at least the execution of it.
PdeV was heavily criticized and accused that he did not COACH the team, most feel he was just a man manager. What HM must do fast is play a plan and like in the successful Bulls year build to a peak, but this peak must be sustained for a long period.
29 @ grootblousmile:
Nah you maybe want to keep those winter woolies handy gbs and sure that cold in the Cape will hit you in a few days time.
32 @ Bullscot:
Yip I know… and the August winds have been here big time in the last week or so.
It’s just today was so mellow…
… and yes, the Cape weather hits us about 3 days later… so the weekend should be cold… but by Friday night late, my ‘Warmboude’ will be back….
Bullscot wrote:
I did add a smilley at my first post about the media, maybe the wrong one. Look i wondered where all the guys are who accused him of trying to pick a blue Springbok team. I think he will find it hard to pick as many Bulls players as Peter did in His career. Like i said he will only get true belief in his coaching when he starts dominating the other teams.
We had 3 coaches in a row who achieved 2 out of 3 wins or 60% success, i am sure the benchmark for him will be at least 75%, that is tough.
Roncero is also playing his 50th game for Argentina Vamos Los Pumas
Fantasy League if anu one is interested
http://therugbychampionshipfantasy.foxsports.com.au
This is quite a nice game by Supersport. Too late for 1st team but if GBS wants me to put up the link to this game i will do so , right here.
Boks spring back into action!
The Boks are set to take on the Pumas, you now have to try and put yourself in the coaches head and figure out the starting XV for the first test against Argentina on Saturday 18 August.
And if you get the run-on team spot on in the Energade Bok Barometer, you and the rest of the Bok know-it-alls will go into a lucky draw, with the winner taking home R5 000 AND a personalised, signed Bok jersey. And that’s for every game…
There is also the grand prize of a trip to Argentina with three mates to support the Boks in the 2013 Rugby Championship, so don’t delay as the lockout for the first match is at 12pm on Wednesday, 15 August!!
The first weeks winners are-
Congratulations to our first three winners of the 2012 Bok season.
Winner 1: Ashley Groenewald drawn out of a pot of 989 correct entries.
Winner 2: Johan Weideman drawn out of a pot of 1 238 correct entries.
Winner 3: Rowan Nefdt drawn out of a pot of 711 correct entries.
Please note: the lockout for the next test against Argentina is at 12pm on Wednesday, 15 August, just before the team is announced. Note that this is not necessarily the winning line-up, as prizes are based on the run-on team on Saturday.
After 12pm on Wednesday, you will still be able to select your Bok team, but it will be for next week’s test match.
@ superBul:
Why not.
GBS?
And if that’s not enough, we also have a Bok prediction game for you. Predict the result for every Springbok game this year, and again you could be in line to win prizes every match weekend, so sign up for this one as well. Lockout for this is the start of each match.
Match Prize(users tied on points will go into a draw): Tag Heuer eyewear
Grand Prize: 3 x Tag Heuer watches
Also by Supersport
@ Stormersboy:
Rod McQueen was with Viljoen on a game park drive. They spotted a Buffalo and Rod said “Look Harry….. there is your players….. Big, strong and fucking dumb!
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