Schalk Burger
Schalk Burger is set to equal former captain John Smit’s South African record of 17 Rugby World Cup appearances, after retaining his starting place for the Pool B match against the United States on Wednesday.
Burger will start on the blindside flank in a forward pack containing just 1 change from the pack which beat Scotland on the weekend, with Frans Malherbe replacing Jannie du Plessis at tighthead prop for his 1st Test start of 2015.
South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer made just 1 other change in his starting 15, with Lwazi Mvovo picked on the left wing for the injured JP Pietersen, with Bryan Habana switching over to the right wing.
(see full squad announcement article, placed earlier today)
Scrumhalf Fourie du Preez will lead the Springboks for the 2nd time, retaining the captaincy after the 34 / 16 win over Scotland. Meyer called up inside back Morné Steyn to the replacement bench, giving him potentially his 1st cap for the tournament.
The Springboks have rebounded strongly since a shocking opening loss to Japan on 19 September, beating Samoa by 40 points before putting away Scotland.
“Wednesday’s match against a much-improved US team is a must-win for us if we want to progress to the quarterfinals, which is one of the reasons why we decided to go with continuity,” Meyer said. “The performances against Samoa and Scotland were satisfactory, but we will have to make another step up.”