Former SA under-20 flyhalf Manie Libbok has been included on the bench – it’s the primary time he has been named within the matchday squad for a take a look at match.
FILE: Springbok captain Siya Kolisi in motion in opposition to the All Blacks of their Rugby Championship match on the Mbombela Stadium on 6 August 2022. Picture: @Springboks/Twitter
CAPE TOWN – Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber made five changes and two positional switches to the Bok staff that misplaced to Ireland final weekend.
South Africa (SA) will face France on Saturday in Marseille, their second take a look at of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour that may happen on the Stade Velodrome (one of many stadiums that shall be used for subsequent yr’s Rugby World Cup).
In phrases of the changes, Willie le Roux will slot again into the beginning staff at fullback, which sees Cheslin Kolbe transfer to the best wing and Kurt-Lee Arendse to the left wing, whereas Makazole Mapimpi has been named among the many replacements.
The different change within the backline sees Faf de Klerk begin at scrumhalf instead of Jaden Hendrikse.
Nienaber additionally made changes to his ahead pack, with tighthead prop Frans Malherbe packing down in a new-look entrance row subsequent to Ox Nche (prop) and Bongi Mbonambi (hooker), whereas Franco Mostert makes the soar from the bench to the beginning lineup to fill the void left by injured lock Lood de Jager.
Former SA Under-20 flyhalf Manie Libbok has been included on the bench – it’s the primary time he has been named within the matchday squad for a take a look at match. The remainder of the alternative bench sees has Cobus Reinach within the combine who will present cowl at scrumhalf, in addition to Steven Kitshoff (prop), Malcolm Marx (hooker) and Marvin Orie (lock).
Nienaber opted for a cut up of five forwards and three backs on the bench for this Test.
“One of the changes was injury-enforced as Lood suffered a shoulder injury against Ireland, while we opted to make a few tactical personnel changes for the challenge that we expect France to pose,” mentioned Nienaber.
“We know what each of the players in this squad can do, and we thought these combinations fit this specific game.
“A guy like Cobus will also bring a different dimension to our attack, and it is a bonus that he knows the conditions in France and has also played with some of their players.
“Manie, meanwhile, has showed his big match temperament in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and he has been training well since joining the team, so if he gets a run, it will be a great occasion to make his Test debut. It is going to be a challenging game, but it doesn’t get better than playing against the second-ranked team in the world on your debut.”
Nienaber anticipated a giant onslaught from the French and mentioned this is able to be an excellent take a look at for the staff with an eye fixed on subsequent yr’s Rugby World Cup, which shall be hosted in France.
“France have showed in the last year what a force they can be, and they come off a morale-boosting victory against Australia, so we know we are in for,” mentioned Nienaber.
“Facing France, who are ranked second in the world, on their home patch at what we expect will be a full stadium is great preparation for next year, as the players will experience first-hand what they are in for.
“We will also be playing at this stadium during the World Cup, so this match will be good for us in many ways.”
Looking on the menace France might pose, Nienaber mentioned: “They have a good pack of forwards who pride themselves on their set pieces and talented backs who can spark something from nothing, so they will test us all around.
“That said, we know what our players are capable of, and if we had capitalised on more of our opportunities against Ireland we could have been on the right end of the scoreboard. The reality is that we lost against the best team in the world at home in front of a capacity crowd by three points.”
The Boks are trying to bounce again from a 19-16 loss to Ireland in Dublin.
Nienaber mentioned: “We’ve spoken about what went wrong last week and we are working hard on rectifying those areas so that we can play to our potential and make the nation proud this weekend.”
Kick-off on Saturday is at 22pm (SA time).
Springbok staff to face France in Marseille:
15 – Willie le Roux
14 – Cheslin Kolbe
13 – Jesse Kriel
12 – Damian de Allende
11 – Kurt-Lee Arendse
10 – Damian Willemse
9 – Faf de Klerk
8 – Jasper Wiese
7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain)
5 – Franco Mostert
4 – Eben Etzebeth
3 – Frans Malherbe
2 – Bongi Mbonambi
1 – Ox Nche
Replacements:
16 – Malcolm Marx
17 – Steven Kitshoff
18 – Vincent Koch
19 – Marvin Orie
20 – Kwagga Smith
21 – Cobus Reinach
22 – Manie Libbok – uncapped
23 – Makazole Mapimpi
