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Dave Rennie reveals Rassie Erasmus turned down pre-match meeting with officials
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Springboks pull Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth before England clash
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South Africa captain Siya Kolisi has been withdrawn from the squad ahead of Saturday’s clash with England at Ellis Park, alongside lock Eben Etzebeth, the Springboks have confirmed following multiple reports.
The changes come shortly before the match with Steve Borthwick’s side, with Etzebeth’s withdrawal being a further blow to the Springboks’ second-row stocks.
Franco Mostert, Lood de Jager and Riley Norton were already unavailable for the match, meaning Rassie Erasmus did not originally select any lock cover on the bench.
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The 141-cap Etzebeth was set to play his first match since the beginning of April, having been sidelined with a hip injury. The injury came shortly after he had returned from his 12-week ban for gouging against Wales in November.
Pieter-Steph du Toit will shift from the flank to the second-row for the match in Johannesburg, as Erasmus has lost 244 caps worth of experience moments before kick-off. The two-time World Rugby player of the year will also captain the Boks in Kolisi’s absence.
The one-cap Cameron Hanekom will move from the bench to take du Toit’s place on the flank, while the uncapped Stormers flanker Paul de Villiers will come into the squad to take Kolisi’s place, meaning there is a net loss of 243 caps. Stormers utility forward Ben-Jason Dixon will take the space Hanekom previously held on the bench.
England have also been forced into a late reshuffle to their squad, with full-back George Furbank suffering from appendicitis.
Updated Springboks XV: 15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers), 14 Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath), 13 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), 12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), 10 Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners), 9 Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks); 1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), 2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), 3 Thomas du Toit (Bath), 4 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), 5 Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), 6 Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls), 7 Paul de Villiers (Stormers), 8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Zach Porthen, 19 Marco van Staden, 20 Ben-Jason Dixon, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Andre Esterhuizen, 23 Canan Moodie
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