The Springbok starting team to face Italy in Padova on Saturday shows four changes from the side which beat England at Twickenham last week, with three new faces amongst the pack and one in the backline.
There are also five changes on the bench, with Nizaam Carr and Julian Redelinghuys included in a Test match-23 for the first time.
Trevor Nyakane will start his first Test for South Africa at loosehead prop, while Coenie Oosthuizen moves up from the bench to replace the injured Jannie du Plessis at tighthead. Teboho ‘Oupa’ Mohoje returns to the starting line-up while Johan Goosen has been selected at fullback.
Joining Carr and Redelinghuys on the bench, are Gurthrö Steenkamp, Lood de Jager and Willie le Roux. Tendai Mtawarira has been given a break after carrying a heavy workload recently.
“I’m excited to see what these guys can do on Saturday in what will be a stern Test against a fired-up Italy,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
“We planned to make a few shifts for this Test as I’d like to see if these players can make the step up. The guys coming in deserve their opportunities and seeing that we won’t have our overseas-based players available next week against Wales, it made sense to bring a few of them in this week.”
Meyer said he was impressed by the commitment shown by all the uncapped players at training on the tour and that Carr and Redelinghuys are ready for selection.
“Nizaam can cover all the positions in the back-row and his call-up is just-reward after a very good season for the DHL Stormers and Western Province,” said the Springbok coach.
“Julian has been superb for the Lions this season and he’s shown that he can scrum. Both of them are now familiar with our plays and structures and I’m looking forward to see what they can bring on Saturday.
“It will also be a good test for Johan, who I’ve always regarded as a possibility at fullback. He has a great skill-set and a massive boot which will come in handy on Saturday if we have to play in wet weather again.”
Meyer said the Test against Italy will pose different challenges to what the Springboks had faced thus far on the tour.
“They are a passionate nation with a very experienced coach in Jacques Brunel and a world-class captain in Sergio Parisse,” said Meyer.
“The Italian pack is always formidable and their backs are not scared of taking chances. Our focus is to show improvements from our performance at Twickenham and we know it will be a big challenge on Saturday.”
Springbok team:
15 Johan Goosen (5 caps, 8 points)
14 JP Pietersen (58 caps, 90 points)
13 Jan Serfontein (18 caps,10 points)
12 Jean de Villiers (Captain – 104 caps, 135 points)
11 Bryan Habana (105 caps, 280 points)
10 Pat Lambie (38 caps, 97 points)
9 Cobus Reinach (4 caps, 5 points)
8 Duane Vermeulen (27 caps, 10 points)
7 Teboho “Oupa” Mohoje (5 caps, 0 points)
6 Marcell Coetzee (24 caps, 30 points)
5 Victor Matfield (Vice-captain – 119 caps, 35 points)
4 Eben Etzebeth (31 caps, 0 points)
3 Coenie Oosthuizen (19 caps, 10 points)
2 Adriaan Strauss (42 caps, 25 points)
1 Trevor Nyakane (11 caps, 5 points)
Replacements:
16 Bismarck du Plessis (68 caps, 45 points)
17 Gurthrö Steenkamp (52 caps, 30 points)
18 Julian Redelinghuys (0 caps, 0 points)
19 Lood de Jager (7 caps, 10 points)
20 Nizaam Carr (0 caps, 0 points)
21 Francois Hougaard (33 caps, 25 points)
22 Handré Pollard (7 caps, 61 points)
23 Willie le Roux (23 caps, 35 points)
Stats and facts:
- The Springbok starting team boasts a total of 610 Test caps (332 in the backline and 278 in the forwards), while there are a further 190 caps worth of experience on the bench.
- South Africa and Italy have played each other 11 times since 1995, with the Springboks winning all 11 Tests. The Springboks have scored 577 points and 79 tries and conceded 139 points and 12 tries for an average score of 52-13.
- South Africa and Italy last met on 8 June 2013 at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban. The Springboks won 44-10 and outscored Italy by five tries to one. •Jean de Villiers will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok centre, with 89 Tests in this position and will captain South Africa for the 33rd time, placing him third behind John Smit (83) and Gary Teichmann (36).
- Victor Matfield will extend his record as the most capped Springbok in history (119 Tests). He will also extend his record of 119 Tests as a lock and will also extend his record as the oldest Springbok ever at 37 years & 188 days.
- Bryan Habana will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok wing, with 104 Tests in this position. If he scores a try, he will extend his record of 56 Test tries for South Africa.
- Matfield and Habana will share the record for the most Tests against Italy when they play the Azzurri for the sixth time – they previously shared this record with Ruan Pienaar and Andre Venter.
- If he goes on and scores a try Bismarck du Plessis will extend his record of nine Test tries for South Africa as a hooker.
- If he goes on and scores a try, Gurthro Steenkamp will extend his record of six tries for South Africa as a prop.
- Willie le Roux, Duane Vermeulen, Jannie du Plessis and Bismarck du Plessis have played in all eleven Tests for the Springboks in 2014. Bryan Habana, Cornal Hendricks and Tendai Mtawarira have both missed only one Test in 2014.
- Johan Goosen will start at fullback for the first time in a Test. Trevor Nyakane will be in the starting line-up for the first time after 11 appearances from the bench. Coenie Oosthuizen will start at tight-head for the first time since France in November 2013. Oosthuizen started at loose-head against Scotland earlier this year.
- Julian Redelinghuys and Nizaam Carr will both make their debuts for South Africa if they come off the bench, becoming Springboks No 865 and 866. Ten new Springboks have been created to date in 2014.
- It will be the fifth time that a Springbok team has three centurions in the starting line-up. The four previous times were against Australia and New Zealand in the Rugby Championship and against Ireland and England.
- It will be Heyneke Meyer’s 36th Test in charge of the Springboks since he took over in 2012. Of the previous 35 Tests South Africa have won 25, lost eight and drawn twice.
- The referee is Jerome Garces of France. It will be his fourth Test involving South Africa. Of the previous three Tests the Springboks have won two and lost one. His last Test involving South Africa was in September this year against New Zealand in Wellington in the Rugby Championship – a game that the Springboks lost narrowly by 10-14.
- This will be the Springbok’s first ever Test match at Stadio Euganio, Padova.
55: dit is ook waar. Bulle het van 2002-2006 elke jaar in CB finaal gespeel, 3 gewen en 1 gelykop. Die kern van daardie span is deur al die jare opgebou, net hier en daar spelers verloor en toe kom die vrugte in 2007 tot 2010, behalwe 2008 waar HM ons gedrop het, en Ludeker oorgeneem het.
So tussen 2002 tot 2010 het die Bulle ‘n kernspan opgebou met sleutelspelers.
Tans word ‘n span oor 3 of 4 jaar opgebou en dan is die spelers weg, so dit lyk nie goed vir ons plaaslike spanne nie.
Dink die Sharks het die beste diepte om die superbeker te wen, maar hul sukkel nog met die groot C.
WP/Stormers het al die momentum aan hul kant, met die goeie CB reeks, paar staatmakers en goeie nuwe talent. Dit is werklik ‘n groot jaar vir Stormers, laaste kans vir Burger en JDV.
Die Bulle, eish, ons moet nog een jaar deur worstel met Ludeke, daarna is daar dalk weer hoop met ‘n nuwe afrigtingspan vanaf 2016.
@ Snoek:
What are the odds on us finally qualifying for the ACofN and it eventually never happening because of Ebola?
MacroBok wrote:
The question should rather be….what are the chance of us getting Ebola in the back of the net often enough to win AFCON.
@ Ben-die-Bok:
Dit kan net dalk die Strompies se jaar wees volgende jaar
MacroBok wrote:
Elke volgende jaar is ons jaar
Shit Bafana
@ nortie:
Die vraag bly maar net of julle so baie geleenthede kan kry om te counter attack teen beter spanne.
MacroBok wrote:
The only sentence in the English language where forgetting the comma doesn’t make the point of the sentence less accurate
@ nortie:
lol dit is n shitshow, sommer n rooi kaart nou ook
Sal ook moet sien hoe die WB jaar die manne beinvloed, of hulle alles gaan gee. Die Bulle kampioenspan van 2010 was swak gewees in 2011, dink hulle het 7de ge-eindig op die log.
67 @ MacroBok:
Nee wat, dit was nice om die CC te wen, maar realiteite is realiteite.
SR is n brug te ver, daar is baie spanne wat beter is en beter spelers het
71: half leeg ?
@ nortie:
Ek dink darem AC het sy les geleer om sy squad beter te bestuur, maar mens kort ook net daai bietjie luck.
Die Waratahs sou nooit ooit die jaar gewen het as Folau en/of Hooper beseer was nie.
Die Brumbies sou dalk n stappie verder gegaan het met die hulp van Pocock in hulle ledere.
Ben-die-Bok wrote:
Liewers n vol brein as n vol glas 😆
@ nortie:
Nama gaan in sy broek kak as hy sien hoe negatief is jy oor die Stormers 😆
73 @ MacroBok:
Ek hoop so, maar ons het al met beter squads en spanne die geleentheid gehad, en kon dit nie maak nie.
Ons is nou al op die stadium waar ons een keer n jaar teen die Cheetahs verloor, so nee, ek persoonlik dink nie ons het die spelers om so n kompetisie te wen nie.
Ek hoop ons doen goed en ek hoop regtig ons begin beter as die jaar ten minste.
Dis maar kak as mens by week 5 van die kompetisie kom en jy al klaar weet jou span is uit
Het een van julle ouens al VICE documentaries gekyk?
MacroBok wrote:
Nama se papsak se kraaintjie loop oor as dit by die Stormers kom 😆
@ nortie:
Ja dit is dalk net beter om in te gaan met min verwagtinge
76: teen wie is julle eerste game, wil weet een wie julle goed gaan begin ?
80: een = teen
Nigeria could not even win against Sudan 🙄
Ben-die-Bok wrote:
Laat ek dit so stel, as ons weer nie met n rus naweek (2 jaar in n ry) begin nie, en as ons nie oorsee gaan by week 2 nie, is dit klaar n beter draw as die jaar
@ Ben-die-Bok:
Hulle speel teen ons
MacroBok wrote:
Dankie tog, ten minste begin ons met n maklike een 😆
@ nortie:
Lions toer eerste (Rnd 4), Cheetahs (rnd 6), Stormers (Rnd 7), Sharks (Rnd 12), Bulls (Rnd 14).
Fokkit, die Bulls is klaar in hulle hel in
Op die einde ondersteun ons ons spanne deur dik en dun, dit is amper soos familie, jy kan hul nie kies nie !
Ek het probeer om oor te loop na Leeus toe, met die Ludeke debakel, maar kon dit nie regkry nie.
So my nuwejaarswense is:
1. Arno ‘n beseringsvrye seisoen kan beleef.
2. Ludeke uit sy foute leer, sy spankeuses beter maak en die wedstrydplan aanpas.
Dis mos nie te veel gevra nie ?
Stupid sokker
Ben-die-Bok wrote:
Dit lyk bietjie te veel gevra…
Dalk moet jy baba treetjies probeer?
Vra miskien dat Arno n beseringsvrye wedstryd kan voltooi, dit sal klaar n rekord wees.
Wat jou wens oor Ludeke aanbetref, dit gaan makliker wees om die EFF te kry om in tuxedos parlement toe te gaan en hulle self te gedra of om vrede tussen die Israelis en Palestyne te bewerkstellig
MacroBok wrote:
Pity the Bafana could not hold out for the win… bad lapse of concentration in the defence left the goalie with not much chance ..would have been their first win ever against Nigeria in a competitive game.
They seem to be going in the right direction since Bru Shakes took over though.
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