Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer on Wednesday announced a Springbok line-up showing three changes and two positional switches from the team that played in Mendoza for their third Castle Lager Rugby Championship Test of 2013, against Australia at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
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Upfront, Bismarck du Plessis takes over at hooker and vice-captain from Adriaan Strauss, while Flip van der Merwe will pack down at lock for Juandré Kruger. Strauss and Kruger move to the replacement bench.
At the back, Willie le Roux shifts from fullback to right wing in the place of Bjorn Basson, with Bryan Habana moving over to the left. Zane Kirchner, who is back to full fitness following a hand injury earlier in the season, will start his first Test of the year at fullback.
“A few of these changes are purely rotational in order to give guys with fresh legs a go, while others are simply a case of horses for courses,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
“We’re fortunate to be in a position to rotate players of the calibre of Bismarck and Adriaan, while we felt this was the right opportunity to give Flip and Zane a go in the starting team.
“In the end, the most important factor still remains consistency in selection. In our squad, any player can slot in at any stage, and that is a good position to be in.”
Meyer reiterated the massive challenge of playing Australia at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday evening and said that the Springboks are looking forward to testing themselves against one of the best sides in the world.
“If we are going to progress as a team, we need to start winning away from home and Saturday’s Test provides this challenge,” said Meyer.
“It’s no use looking at history now – we have to focus on the Test, ensure we tick the right boxes and improve in the areas where we let ourselves down in Mendoza.”
Springbok Team: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Willie le Roux, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Jean de Villiers (Captain), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Flip van der Merwe, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Gurthrö Steenkamp, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Juandré Kruger, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Jano Vermaak, 22 Patrick Lambie, 23 Jan Serfontein.
Stats and facts:
- The Springbok starting team boasts a total of 567 Test caps (327 in the backline and 240 in the forwards), while there are a further 122 caps worth of experience on the bench.
- South Africa and Australia have played each other 76 times since 1933, with the Springboks winning 42 tests, losing 33 and one was drawn. The Springboks have scored 1435 points and 172 tries and conceded 1337 points and 138 tries for an average score of 19-18.
- South Africa and Australia last met on 29 September 2012 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. The Springboks won by 31-8, a game in which Bryan Habana scored a hat-trick of tries.
- Jean de Villiers will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok centre, with 74 Tests in this position.
- Bryan Habana will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok wing, with 87 Tests in this position and if he scores a try, will extend his record of 51 Test tries for South Africa. He also just needs one try to equal the Rugby Championship record of Christian Cullen (New Zealand) who scored 16 tries in his Rugby Championship (Tri-Nations) career. He will also extend his own SA record of nine career tries against Australia.
- Morné Steyn will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok flyhalf, with 46 Tests in this position. If he scores a try, Morné will extend his record of seven Test tries as a flyhalf for South Africa and if he scores a drop goal, he will extend his own record of three career drop goals against Australia.
- Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis will extend their SA record of playing together in 26 Tests for South Africa. If he scores a try, Bismarck will also extend his own record of seven Test tries for South Africa as a hooker.
- If he goes on and scores a try, Gurthrö Steenkamp will extend his own record of six tries as a prop for South Africa.
- The referee is George Clancy of Ireland. This will be his eighth Test involving South Africa. In the previous seven South Africa have won five and lost two. His last game was the test against Scotland on 17 November, 2012 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh (SA won 21-10).
Springbok Test match records against Australia at stadiums in Brisbane (seven at Suncorp Stadium (previously Lang Park), two at the Exhibition Ground, one at Ballymore Stadium and one at the Gabba):
- Most points – 10 by Joel Stransky (2c, 2p) against Australia on 14 August, 1993.
- Most tries – two by Piet Visagie on 31 July, 1971 and Marius Joubert on 27 July, 2002.
- Most conversions – two by Joel Stransky on 14 August, 1993 and by André Pretorius on 27 July, 2002.
- Most penalty goals – three by Louis Koen on 2 August, 2003.
- Most drop goals – one by Tom van Vollenhoven on 2 June, 1956 and Morne Steyn on 5 September, 2009.
The Springboks have never beaten Australia at Suncorp Stadium. The only two previous wins against Australia in Brisbane were at the Exhibition Ground (in 1956 and 1971). The Springboks beat Samoa 60-10 on 1 November, 2003 during the Rugby World Cup.
Loosies are way to slow as a unit. Aussies are going to murder us.
@ Loosehead:
I fear you may be right.
Superbru pick with he head, or the heart?
2 @ Scrumdown:I am so kak at superbru, it wont matter.
I will back the Boks to win, but they will lose.
3 @ Loosehead:
Nah, where the SA National side is concerned I pick with my head these days.
They may beat the Ausmob in SA, but not in Brisbane with this side.
I also can’t see them beating NZ either home or away.
Mentally, I’m just not sure they have it between the ears!
Scrumdown wrote:
I thought a lot of HM,s ability to motivate a team, he studied that subject. But his choice of Captain surprised me. I feel , and that is my feeling. A Captain can only be a player with a number 10 or less. never anyone above that number. In test rugby i feel that he MUST be a forward. The only exceptions is when you have what Danie Craven called a genius, someone like Danie or Naas.
I would have made Bismarck the Captain.
Although Jean is n nice guy i seldom see him firing the squad up.
superBul wrote:
IMO a tight forward has to be captain of any Rugby team.
Only a tight forward really knows what’s truly going on in the “engine room” where primary ball is either won or lost.
superBul wrote:
Couldn’t agree more.
I predicted Zane,s inclusion earlier. I knew HM would play one off Zane or Bjorn. They are very good in the air with up and under,s. If Morne is accurate we will see this quite a lot. With the slow lose trio we cant play any other way.
Dont even mention the slow Ruan. Eish we must hope the Aussies have a slow start.
This test is scary
Whilst I wouldn’t have picked Zane personally I don’t think it’s the worst selection. Zane has had a decent year and you could do a lot worse.
The big issue here is that of Pienaar at 9. He is way too slow for an international 9 and really should be on the bench as a utility player. Nothing more.
He turns every ruck ball into first phase play, giving the opposition time to reset their defenses.
@ Stormersboy:
Morning all.
I think on Pienaar we all agree with you, he should be on the bench.
BUT, what worries me even more looking at our team as a whole, is whether this is really the best team we can produce for the Green and Gold?
I have me doubts…
One could almost look at each and every position and find an alternative player from our Currie Cup teams that is as good or better than the current Springbok incumbent. The trick will be for Heyneke to mold these boys into a forceful unit against the Ozzies, especially at the breakdowns against Hooper et al, and not to rely on individual brilliance.
Our loosies and locks were uberkuk in Mendoza, we can’t afford this in Brisbane.
I have Oz to win by 10+.
@ Pietman:
Fair comment. I would have gone for a different look from the beginning, but I understand meyer is covering his bases to some extent.
Would have loved to have seen Jano start in place of Pienaar, and would also have liked to have seen a bit more speed in the loosies.
So what to expect from the Wallabies. Will they play like the Crusaders play against the Bulls? Quick through-ins at line out time, quickly moving the ball to the wings and then ensure the ruck contest is over before the SA loosies get there. Kick uppies to our wings and then putting lots of pressure on them, then as soon as SA puts more defense out wide they attack the middle with some snipping breaks by Cooper and Genia.
NZ-landers have a truism that goes something like this: ‘effectiveness of your team to win the contest at the advantage line is directly related to the speed of the fastest loose forward in the team; the ability of your backline to score tries is directly related to speed of the slowest back.’
We have not enough speed in the loose trio. Our slowest back Ruan, is just too slow and kills the second space the outside backs need to beat their opponents.
The third problem we have is the lack of presence/controlled aggression in the tight loose.
Apart from Ruan Pienaar in or even near the match day 23, I am happy.
Now the Bokke need to present the right ATTITUDE, PASSION, GUTS, GAME PLAN, DETERMINATION, DICIPLINE, PERFECT EXECUTION and the game will be won.
The Wallabies are ripe for the picking at this juncture, there has to be some doubt in their own minds, in their coach and in their pattern of play. The Springboks need to unlock the Wallabies frailties on defence, the Bokke also need to dominate up front, specially at the ground ball & tackle areas. The Wallabies attacks have become one-dimentional and predictable… typical Reds Rugby. Put Genia & Quade Cooper under enough pressure and you largely nullify their backline threat in total.
Understand me well, I’m not saying the Springboks will win, I am saying there is a window of opportunity for the Springboks to exploit. The question is whether they are switched on enough to do it!
Aussies are going to follow the Graeme Henry recipe to beat SA. Avoid Scrums and lineouts and speed the game up. Our whole pack is to slow and ponderous to keep up. Our backs will reive he ball to slow and will be rucked off he ball (like the Pumas did to us) preventing us to get momentum.
I see another wake-up call for HM and his stooges.
@ grootblousmile:
Het jy die nuwe ding gesien van Superbru?
New in 2013, a club is a group of SuperBru players who take part in tournaments together. A club runs pools inside tournaments, and when tournaments finish, the leaderboard and honours are added to the club’s history. Inside the club, players compete for medals and rankings based on their tournament performances.
@ McLook:
Do we know who’s playing half back for the aussies?
I fear that may be SA’s Achilles heel.
Quick sniping runs around the losse after quick recycled ball and 1st phase set pieces could just put SA on the back foot, and as we all know, that is when the current SA squad seem to be at their most vunerable.
Wasn’t it in Brisbane where SA played their heaviest pack ever and got the biggest klap from Oz ever? How far is this from our heaviest pack?
I see a number of complaints about the speed of the loosies for the Bokke.
Firstly, to be a massively effective opensider, you have to have speed… and Francois Louw certainly falls in that category. Nothing wrong with Flo’s speed to the breakdowns!
So, I take it the objection is then that Willem Alberts and / or Duane Vermeulen is slow…
When I look at looseforwards, I look at a combo of 3 people who supplement each other to form a TRIO, operating as ONE UNIT and for that to happen the mix has to be right.
Looking at this loose trio, I am happy… the real fetcher is there (Flo), the hard-tackling & strike-running Blindsider is there (Alberts), the man everybody was baying for for years to replace Pierre Spies at No 8 is there (Duane Vermeulen), and his hands behind the scrums are good, his work rate is good.
In addition, Bissie is there to act as supplemental “Fetcher” together with guys like Coenie die Boef (when he comes on as a sub).
The Springbok frailties are at scrumhalf, with Ruan Pienaar’s slow service and fumbling and wrong option taking and weak passing… and to a large extent on defence at Outside centre… JJ Engelbrecht’s channell.
Our back 3 is solid under high balls and on defence and our wings certainly are X-factor players.
The strongest muscle in the human body sits right between the ears though… and THAT will determine the winner in this match!
16 @ superBul:
Ja ek het dit gesien
Scrumdown wrote:
Genia as far as I know. You are right he is going to be a real danger. Add Cooper to the mix and our loosies will have to deal both.
grootblousmile wrote:
And there you hit the nail squarely on the head.
Do you think that the SA aquad has the savvy to out think the Aussies?
Hope so, but for some reason doubt it.
GBS@19. I just don’t share your optimism about the loosies. They are going to be weakness in a fast pave game. Flo is quick enough close to the set piece but to slow if the game gets stretched to the wings. Alberts and Duane are een slower and to make matter worse the are not even fast enough to stop snipping halfbacks close to the ste piece. When it becomes a fast recycle game they will not be in the game at all.
Alberts was totally absent against the Pumas in Mendoza. If you have a real fetcher at 6 like Flo you need real speed in either 7 or 8 in my opinion. I don’ t think we’ve got a balanced back row. I would have liked Kolisi at 7 for this match.
In addition our props does not contribute enough off the ball at he rucks.
If we loose the battle at the break down like against the Pumas in Mendoza we are goin to loose this match.
22 @ Scrumdown:
I also have my hesitations about that… but then again I re-iterate that the Wallabies are vulnerable at present… and that might affect their mental readyness and that MUSCLE of theirs between the ears too.
Add to that, that Will Genia & Quade Cooper have both been off form…
Hey… difficult one to decide!
23 @ McLook:
Guess we’ll see on the weekend…
I guess Home Ground advantage makes the Wallabies favourites for this weekend, not by a large margin though…. yet when the Springboks play the Wallabies here in SA, we should take them with ease.
@GBS. I do agree with you that the Wobblies are vulnerable right now. We can give them a blow of shattering proportions if we do show-up and play agressive fast pace innovative rugby.
Slow loosies and over reliance on set piece is going to be our downfall on the weekend. In addition our best attacking player (Willie le Roux) is stuck on the wing. For him to contribute from the wing we need a fast recycle type game like the Cheetahs. Boks can’t play like that so Willie as been negated to border control and will as a consequence not be able to weave his magic.
27 @ McLook:
Apart for Michael Hooper at openside to match Francois Louw… what makes the Wallabies loose trio so special??
Nothing!
I disagree with you… if the Springboks play a loose game, it will suit the Wallabies style of play down to a tee, the pattern they want to enforce on the Springboks, therefore the Springboks must play AWAY from Wallabies strenghts, not into their hands.
That implies structure, good set pices, forward domination, territorial advantage… and only run with GOOD, QUICK ball within the right attacking parrameters!
Make the game too loose and the Wallabies will cut you to shreds on attack and on counter-attack.
Key is to slow down Wallabies possession, therefore we need to play closer to our forwards, for our forwards to get to those balls in time.
@ grootblousmile:
Couldn’t agree with you more.
Well said.
Dicipline will also be key…
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