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Springboks name team for Wales

By Online Editors
Springboks sing anthem before November Test against England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

An unchanged Springbok starting side will take on Wales in the final Test match of the 2018 Castle Lager Outgoing Tour to the United Kingdom and Europe in Cardiff on Saturday.

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The Test at the Principality Stadium, the fourth of the Springboks’ tour to the northern hemisphere, kicks off at 17h20 (19h20 SA time).

It will be the first time this season the Springboks run out with an unchanged line-up. There is however one change amongst the replacements, where Eben Etzebeth is set to provide impact off the bench. The experienced lock has recovered from his calf problem and comes into the 23-man squad in place of Lood de Jager.

The rest of the Springbok match squad that defeated Scotland 26-20 last Saturday in Edinburgh is unchanged for the final tour match.

Duane Vermeulen (No 8), Pieter-Steph du Toit (No 7 flank) and Siya Kolisi (No 6 flank and captain) will yet again form the loose trio, Franco Mostert and RG Snyman the lock combination while Frans Malherbe, Malcolm Marx and Steven Kitshoff will pack down in the front row.

Jesse Kriel will play in his 40th Test match for the Springboks and he lines up next to Damian de Allende in the midfield. Handré Pollard and Embrose Papier are the halfbacks and the back three consists of Willie le Roux (No 15) and speedsters Sbu Nkosi (No 14) and Aphiwe Dyantyi (No 11).

Following an agonising one-point loss to England at Twickenham at the start of the tour, the Springboks have subsequently gained hard-fought victories over France in Paris and Scotland.

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Success over Wales at the Principality Stadium will mean the South Africans can finish the traditional end of year tour with three wins from four.

Rassie Erasmus, Director of Rugby, said the squad wants to finish the tour and international season a positive note.

“Wales have a formidable squad and their current run of eight unbeaten Tests is proof and also an indication of their good form at the moment,” said Erasmus.

“As I’ve said before, we know Saturday’s Test is going to be our most difficult match of the tour.”

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The Springboks have shown growing maturity in their last couple of Tests and Erasmus wants another good effort in their last match of the season against the tough Welsh.

“Wales defeated us in Washington in June and have now won the last three games against us,” said Erasmus.

“They are a well-balanced and strong side with a great home record so our boys will be in for a massive contest on Saturday.

“We will be desperate to win, and to end the tour on a high would be fantastic for the experience and growth of this squad.”

The Springbok team to face Wales in Cardiff (in order of name, surname, Test caps, Test points):

15. Willie le Roux (52, 60 – 12 tries)

14. Sbu Nkosi (6, 20 – 4t)

13. Jesse Kriel (39, 55 – 11t)

12. Damian de Allende (36, 20 – 4t)

11. Aphiwe Dyantyi (12, 30 – 6t)

10. Handré Pollard (38, 336 – 4t, 59c, 63p, 3d)

9. Embrose Papier (6, 0)

8 Duane Vermeulen (45, 15 – 3t)

7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (45, 20 – 4t)

6. Siya Kolisi (captain, 40, 25 – 5t)

5. Franco Mostert (28, 5 – 1t)

4. RG Snyman (11, 0)

3. Frans Malherbe (28, 0)

2. Malcolm Marx (23, 20 – 4t)

1. Steven Kitshoff (36, 5 – 1t)

Replacements:

16. Bongi Mbonambi (25, 15 – 3t)

17. Thomas du Toit (8, 0)

18. Vincent Koch (12, 0)

19. Eben Etzebeth (74, 15 – 3t)

20. Francois Louw (64, 45 – 9t)

21. Ivan van Zyl (5, 0)

22. Elton Jantjies (32, 226 – 2t, 42c, 44p)

23. Cheslin Kolbe (6, 10 – 2t)

Stats and facts:

Test caps:

· The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 445 caps. There are 189 caps in the backline and 256 amongst the forwards, with a further 226 on the bench.

· The average caps per player in the backline are 27, the forwards are 32 while the players on the bench average 24. The average age of the starting 15 is 26.

· Pieter-Steph du Toit and Steven Kitshoff are the only two players who will have played in every Test match this season.

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Adrian 1 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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Trevor 4 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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