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)
MacroBok wrote:
60 @ Nama:
Wat maak dit verskillend van hoe die All Blacks dit doen?
As Dan Carter se lyf nie so moeg was nie en hy nie so maklik deesdae beseer raak nie, hoe sou Aaron Cruden soveel speelkans gekry het, en Beauden Barrett ensovoorts.
Selfde met hulle slotte… hoe sou Retallick bo uitgekom het?
Hoe sou Perenara en Kerr-Barlow speelkans gekry het?
Jy sien spoke waar daar nie eers skaduwees is nie, man!
@ grootblousmile:
Wie van hul slotte van 2011 se WB is nog in die prentjie?
Hulle kon ook vir Piri Weepu na 2011 gespeel het as hulle wou.
Wie sien jy as ons skrumskakels in 2016 en verder?
63 @ Nama:
Nee, moenie die vraag omseil nie… wat maak die All Blacks anders?
Beserings help hulle maar ook om diepte te ontdek, so ook verskeie faktore soos Super Rugby Vorm, spelers wat ander geleentheid gee omdat hulle kak aangejaag het (Cruden), sowel as raaksien en identifiseer deur Hansen.
Dis maar hoe dit werk… en mens doen maar die beste in die omstandighede waarmee jy konfronteer word!
@ grootblousmile:
Die AB het in 2012 aleeds hul slotpaar verander met Whielock as hul anker. Niks met beserings of vorm te doen gehad nie. Selfde op skrumskakel. Hulle het Smith as hul no. 1 geïdentifiseer hoewel sommiges gedink het dit moet Perenara wees nadat hy sy SR loopbaan met n driekuns begin het. Cruden is speelkans gegee al was Carter reg om te speel op sy eerste toer met die AB.
Daar was n oorgangsplan. Anders as by ons.
65 @ Nama:
Trek die ander ene!
Die verskil by ons is dat dit te veel lyk of die coach se hand geforce word deur goed buite sy beheer. Die keuse van Reinach die jongste geval.
Anyway, ek gaan nou rus… help nie om heen en weer te reageer met ‘n man wat vooropgestelde idees het nie.
Goeie nag, slaap sag!
@ grootblousmile:
Antwoord nou my vraag. Wie sien jy as ons skrumskakels vanaf 2016. In rangorde van 1-3.
@ grootblousmile:
Het ons nie maar almal ons vooropgestelde idees nie. 😀
Sommige van ons sien altyd iets positiefs in alles wat HM doen en ander sien die realiteit. 😆
@ grootblousmile:
Nag GBS.
@ Nama:
Beserings is deel van die ding. As malherbe nie beseer was nie sou redelinghuys seker ook nie saam getoer het nie. As flo nie beseer was nie so coetzee dalk nie so n groot jaar gehad het nie… Party ouens kry nou maar net nooi n kans nie, ettiene botha het nooit sy kans gekry nie en bissie moes ook lank wag… Dis sport en die realiteit van n professionele sport, jy kan nie een oomblik kla oor ouens wat kans kry om huo stempel af te druk dat ons 5 games weg is van die WB (loskakel) dan in ander posisies kla dat ons nou sommer almal moet oans gee nie.
Dssr was baie ouens kanse gegee op 9.
@ Nama:
En ander sien net die negatief 😉
@ Nama:
Als negatief geskuil as “realiteit”. Objektief se moer 😆
@ MacroBok:
Jy kan ons nie met die All Blacks vergelyk nie
Hulle het langtermynbeplanning en sentrale kontraktering
Die opvolger vir die afrigter word lank voor die tyd aangestel
Met sentrale kontraktering kan hulle spelers rus soos Ritchie om sy loopbaan te verleng
SARU word bestuur deur ruggraatlose ja-broers wat net daar is vir hulle eie sakke (dieselfde by die Bulle)
Dis ‘n wonderwerk dat ons hulle wen, dit sal al moeiliker word in die toekoms
@ MacroBok:
Hoeveel ouens is kans gegee op no. 9 sedert 2012, Macro?
FdP, Pienaar en Hougie het bykans al die wedstryde begin onder HM.
73 @ MacroBok:
Dit sal natuurlik afhang van wie dit sê en wat die uiteinde gaan wees. Iemand sal seker na volgende jaar se WB sê: “Ek het mos gesê.”
😆
Nag Macro en VB.
May the forces be with HM. He’ll need them. 😆
@ Nama:
Lekker dag Nama. Hartseer nuus oor Phil Hughes vanoggend.
Nama wrote:
As jy jou lewe wil lewe so wil lewe is dit maar jou keuse
@ MacroBok:
78 – yes MB: real sad news about Phil Hughes!
RIP Phil.
I really feel for the bowler too. Unfortunately those type of injuries (and I’m not being insensitive about it) are part of the game – even though it seldom leads to fatalities
75 @ Victoriabok:
Ja daar is maar n rede hoekom die All Blacks so ver weggetrek het van die res van die wereld. Hulle approach is daar op gerig om te All Blacks te bevorder, hulle besef ook hulle het geld nodig, hulle weet hulle kan net 4/5 super rugby spanne op die veld sit so hulle wil eerder Japan lok na Super Rugby om die koffers vol te maak.
SARU maak besluite wat polities(self bevorderend) is… net die feit dat ons daarop aandrgin om 6 spanne te he, veral na n jaar waar ons afgekak het in SR wys net in watse moeilikheid ons eintlik is.
@ charlesm:
Yes Sean Abott recently played in the ODI(or T20) series against us, he is also only 22 years old… This is horrific.
Jacque Fourie bites the dust.
Wales team against the Boks: Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon), Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), Jonathan Davies (Clermont Auvergne), Jamie Roberts (Racing Metro), Liam Williams (Scarlets), Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Rhys Webb (Ospreys); Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Scott Baldwin (Ospreys), Samson Lee (Scarlets), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Dan Lydiate (unattached), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt), Taulupe Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons).
Replacements: Emyr Phillips (Scarlets), Aaron Jarvis (Ospreys), Rhodri Jones (Scarlets), Luke Charteris (Racing Metro), James King (Ospreys), Mike Phillips (Racing Metro), Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), Scott Williams (Scarlets).
Look at the stats….
Most Points scored at Cardiff – Percy Montgomery
Most Conversions – Percy Montgomery
Most Drop Goals – Percy Montgomery
Quality, flipping quality bloke !!!
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