Heyneke Meyer & Jean de Villiers
Tendai Mtawarira, Bismarck du Plessis, Willie le Roux, Cornal Hendricks and Lwazi Mvovo are back in the Springbok starting line-up for Saturday’s Test against Wales at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
The changes in the back three were required because Johan Goosen, Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen, who started in last weekend’s victory over Italy in Padova, are not available this week. The two changes to the front row are rotational.
Adriaan Strauss, who started at hooker in the victories over England and Italy, moves to the bench, where he will be joined by Trevor Nyakane and Damian de Allende in the only other changes to the match-23.
“This tour has been a good test of our depth and we’re looking forward to see what the team can do on Saturday,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
“We will face a fired-up Welsh side this weekend. They played very well against New Zealand and it will be a tough end to our season, but we want to finish on a high and the focus this week has been on ensuring we keep on building on what we’ve done thus far this year.
“All the players coming into the team have been part of our squad for most of the season. They know our plans and structures and now it’s about execution on Saturday.”
Injuries and the non-availability of overseas-based players for matches outside the Test window have meant that only three players, Le Roux, Du Plessis and Duane Vermeulen, have played in all 12 Tests for the Springboks in 2014.
In 2013, a total of 10 players featured in each of the 12 Tests. Le Roux is the only player who has played in every Springbok encounter over the last two seasons, while Du Plessis has missed only one match.
It has also been confirmed today that scrumhalf Rudy Paige has picked up a medial knee ligament injury during training on Tuesday which will rule him out of action for approximately three to four weeks.
A replacement for Paige in the Springboks’ touring squad will be named at a later stage.
Springbok team:
15 Willie le Roux (24 caps, 35 points)
14 Cornal Hendricks (10 caps, 25 points)
13 Jan Serfontein (19 caps, 10 points)
12 Jean de Villiers (Captain – 105 caps, 135 points)
11 Lwazi Mvovo (9 caps, 15 points)
10 Pat Lambie (39 caps, 100 points)
9 Cobus Reinach (5 caps, 10 points)
8 Duane Vermeulen (28 caps, 10 points)
7 Teboho “Oupa” Mohoje (6 caps, 0 points)
6 Marcell Coetzee (25 caps, 30 points)
5 Victor Matfield (Vice-captain – 120 caps, 35 points)
4 Eben Etzebeth (32 caps, 0 points)
3 Coenie Oosthuizen (20 caps, 15 points)
2 Bismarck du Plessis (69 caps, 45 points)
1 Tendai Mtawarira (63 caps, 10 points)
Bench:
16 Adriaan Strauss (43 caps, 25 points)
17 Trevor Nyakane (12 caps, 5 points)
18 Julian Redelinghuys (1 cap, 0 points)
19 Lood de Jager (8 caps, 10 points)
20 Nizaam Carr (1 cap, 0 points)
21 Francois Hougaard (34 caps, 25 points)
22 Handré Pollard (8 caps, 65 points)
23 Damian de Allende (2 caps, 0)
Stats and facts:
- The Springbok starting team boasts a total of 574 Test caps (211 in the backline and 363 in the forwards), while there are a further 109 caps worth of experience on the bench.
- South Africa and Wales have played each other 29 times since 1906, with the Springboks winning 27, losing one (1999) and one was drawn (1970). The Springboks have scored 808 points and 101 tries and conceded 428 points and 36 tries for an average score of 28-15.
- South Africa and Wales last met on 21 June 2014 at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. The Springboks won narrowly by 31-30.
- Jean de Villiers will extend the record as the most-capped Springbok centre, with 90 Tests in this position and will captain South Africa for the 34th time, placing him third behind John Smit (83) and Gary Teichmann (36). If he scores a try he will become the sole recordholder for most tries against Wales, a record he currently shares with Joost van der Westhuizen (6).
- Victor Matfield will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok in history (120 Tests). He will also extend his record of 120 Tests as a lock. It will be his 13th Test against Wales, which is also a record.
- If he scores a try Bismarck du Plessis will extend his record of nine Test tries for South Africa as a hooker.
- It will be Heyneke Meyer’s 37th Test in charge of the Springboks since he took over in 2012. Of the previous 36 Tests South Africa have won 26, lost eight and drawn twice.
- The referee is John Lacey of Ireland. It will be his second Test involving South Africa. His first Test with the Springboks was in August 2014 against Argentina at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, which South Africa won by 13-6 after an unusually heavy downpour during the match.
Springbok Test match records in Cardiff:
- Most points – 23 by Percy Montgomery (1t, 3c, 4p) against Wales on 6 November, 2004.
- Most tries – three by Joost van der Westhuizen against Wales on 15 December, 1996.
- Most conversions – three by Percy Montgomery against Wales on 13 November, 2010.
- Most penalty goals – five by Morne Steyn against Wales on 13 November, 2010.
- Most drop goals – two by Percy Montgomery against New Zealand on 14 November, 1999.
Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
Kick-Off: 16:30 SA Time (14:30 BST & GMT)
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Pascal Gauzère (France)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
There are 4 current Bulls, 7 Cheetahs, 5 WP/Stormers, 6 Sharks and 1 Lion in the squad. And there is the problem. The team that fared the worst in Super Rugby, and also the worst of the big 5 in Currie Cup has the most no of players in the squad. While there is no doubting the quality of players like Willie Le Roux and Adriaan Strauss, what about the likes of Coenie Oosthuizen, who admittedly did better in the scrums last week than we expected, but still has to prove himself consistently at this level? There are far better specialist no 3’s currently uninjured that should be there in his place. I am of course speaking about Redelinghuys and Dreyer.
It always used to be that the selectors chose players from the best performing teams, who had a winning culture, but instead,we have 7 players who do not have a recent habit of winning in their minds. While Cornel Hendricks is a great finisher, surely, Meyer should have kept Senatla, one of the most exciting prospects in SA on and blooded him? He is a player that has a winning habit in the shorter form of the game, and made the transition from the 7 man code to the 15 code without any problems. Then we have the best flank in the country at the moment, with a the speed of a wing, who does not even get a sniff at proving himself at the highest level. Again a player from a union that has a winning habit, as well being a team that has confounded critics and fans alike with their never say die attitude and a penchant for exciting, effective ball in hand rugby. Jaco Kriel also has an amazing ability to slip tackles and will make meters when tackled.
South Africa stands in danger of losing for only the second time against Wales. A loss will be a terrible set back for Heynecke Meyer as he tries to guide South Africa to being the most successful country at the RWC, with a 3rd title. A win, even an ugly win will be what Meyer needs to call this tour a reasonable success. However, a loss will be consign this November tour to the ash heap of failure, and will make Meyer’s tenure as coach a little more unsure.
So will Meyer’s selections be vindicated, or will they come back to haunt him come the business end the 2015 edition of the RWC, when he has to field some very inexperienced players, who possibly will be making their debuts? Only time will tell.
@ Lion4ever:
I haven’t thought of it like that but winning is a habit…….unfortunately so is losing.
I agree about Senatla and Jaco. I have already expressed my feelings about Coenie at 3. As you have pointed out we have better specialists at tighthead.
Heyneke has really disappointed me by not picking Pollard for the test against Wales. After the Ireland test he selected Lambie but said that it was always his plan to give them both 2 starts each on tour. I even defended Heyneke and believed him.
Hondo will have a field day about me believing Heyneke. I was obviously wrong but this is not about me. It is about the coach that is not consistent in what he says.
I don’t have a problem with Lambie but that is not the point. What could have made him change his decision about not starting with Pollard ?
I have to admit that I’m glad Reinach is starting again.
Bismarck needs to bring his A game and has to be secure at the lineouts.
2 @ charlesm:
See I had the 23 names right in my team prediction on that other thread… it’s just YOUR fault that I thought Pollard & Hougie would start… saying that Meyer promised them 2 Tests each!
@ grootblousmile:
I said Pollard – not Hougie 😀 !!
1 @ Lion4ever:
Hi Lion4ever quite a lot in there to reply to but for will just keep it brief, remember Wales are also without players, we will see tomorrow how many, depends on how they respond with their injuries but the latest was that they could be without at least 9 players who would have made a big difference for them in their 23 for the day.
Doesn’t Strauss and Trevor count as Bulls now?
Good side put out by Heyneke, just a pity Julian Redelinghuys & Nizaam Carr will get such limited game time… and also a shame that Ruan Dreyer & Jaco Kriel would now never get game time on tour.
nortie wrote:
No not yet
They first need to be taught not to scrum, to drop the ball in a tackle and to be bad at all things rugby by Ludeke to be Bulls
8 @ Victoriabok:
😀
Why would HM experiment with uncapped players against Wales when he was not prepared to do so against Italy?
Conservatism is the HM way, & the Blue Bulls way where it all germinates.
Anyway, a Test is a Test, ou pal …
& I’m not convinced that Senatla is a better bet than Mvovo, nor Kriel better than Coetzee.
In Test rugby against a team of the calibre of Wales one fields one’s best team from the ranks of those that are fit & available, finis & klaar!
Yes, don’t scream “but what about Coenie?” at me – THAT’s HM’s idiosyncratic madness, or does Coenie have some dirt on the dude? 😆
Most predictable team selection of the year.
No Pollard?
Wasn’t there some kind of “promise?” Two starts for him and Lambie?
Oh well…not the 1st time this coach says one thing and than does something else.
This would mean that Lambie is now the no. 1 fly half until he gets injured again, not so?
@ MacroBok:
You didn’t think that your boy, Pollie, would start?
Angostura wrote:
Excellent point, especially regarding Senatla, we first need to see how he performs in Super Rugby (If he even plays!)
MacroBok wrote:
Gelukkig het Paige seergekry, hy is nog k@kker as Hougie
Ek weet nie wat hy daar doen nie
@ Nama:
I will give in to you guys that Meyer does not always follow through with a statement made months earlier… when things can change a few weeks or even a game later… I havent followed all the news on the tour, but it would be nice if you guys can quote him saying he is going to give both players two games on tour?
Nama wrote:
My boy Polly first needs to sort out his kicking for touch… not that Lambie is perfect either.
Our biggest problem at ten is the guys not stringing 3 good games together.
“I always said that I wanted to give Pat a start on this tour, and we really want to win at Twickenham. We have also factored in that Cobus Reinach and Jan Serfontein, the men on either side of the flyhalf, don’t have a lot of experience at this level. So we didn’t want to go into such a big game with three inexperienced players at 9,10 and 12.” – Meyer
2014/11/12
@ MacroBok:
But Macro, when I argued that Pollie was dropped after the Irish test because he was poor, you said that it was always in HM’s plans to give both him and Lambie starts.
Also, go read what HM said when he announced the team for the England test. It can be found on this site as well.
Does it really, really matter that Heyneke plays the Tests as he sees it from game to game??
Victoriabok wrote:
Ja ek weet nie hoekom Paige daar is nie.
Ek weet nogsteeds nie waar Faf du Plessis van die Lions/Pumas is nie, goeie talent maar hy het die hele CB reeks gemis. Verder is daar maar net Sarel Pretorius wat altyd n masiewe gamble gaan wees, en Nic Groom het naby die einde van die Currie beker heel goed gespeel het.
Verder het die ander scrumskakels soos Piet Van Zyl en Louis Schreuder heeltemal uit die bus geval.
Tussen al daai goed het Rudy Paige een ding in sy “guns”.
2019 se 50/50 kom.
@ MacroBok:
So, he wanted to give Pat a start against England at Twickenham where he also expects the two teams to meet again in the RWC final next year. Pat being his no. 2 fly half at the start of the tour.
You buy that…I don’t.
Nama wrote:
yes I quoted what he said in post 18.
Are you suggesting does that also mean that 5 players got “dropped” for the English game and even more so for the Italian game?… There was always going to be rotation on this tour… THAT’S what I said.
@ grootblousmile:
There are only 5 tests left before the start of the RWC.
@ Nama:
I buy that he wants to give Pollard as much experience as possible… fark knows who our no.1 flyhalf is at this stage in Meyers opinion.
Still a LOT of water to flow under the bridge if we even qualify for the World Cup Final.
Nama wrote:
5 Tests and 16 rounds of Super Rugby
@ MacroBok:
No problem with the rotation policy per se but fly half is a critical position to be uncertain about 5 matces out from the RWC.
@ Nama:
Yep but it is no help that the guys cant string performances together, while all sorts of confidence is bestowed on them by the management.
MacroBok wrote:
Hy’s 50 gemiddeld en 50 k@k
Hougie is 5% goed 45% ondergemiddeld 50% plein k@k
Piet van Zyl is nou 100% stront, hy is mooi getrein deur Ludeke
@ Victoriabok:
haha ek bedoel 50/50 Affirmative action
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