Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and standard supporters group, the Gwijo Squad, shared a particular second with hooker Joseph Dweba this week.
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Dweba will begin Saturday’s Rugby Championship conflict in opposition to New Zealand at Ellis Park following the withdrawal of Bongi Mbonambi.
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Dweba, who began each Tests he has performed to this point – in opposition to Wales in Bloemfontein in July and Argentina in Nelson Mandela Bay final yr – will pack down alongside his former Cheetahs team-mate Ox Nche, with whom he progressed by SA Rugby’s national development pathway, which included that includes collectively for the Junior Springboks and SA Schools group.
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It’s certain to be a particular second for Dweba as he makes a long-awaited return to the beginning group, and a Proudly South African video clip has now emerged to indicate how Siya Kolisi and the Gwijo Squad celebrated his choice.
Watch the video with Siya Kolisi and Joseph Dweba under:
Meanwhile, Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber stated Mbonambi would go for scans to his knee, however with restricted coaching time left earlier than Saturday’s Test with one subject session scheduled for Wednesday and the captains run on Friday, and an necessary three-match tour to Australia and Argentina forward, in addition to the year-end tour, the coaches opted to withdraw Mbonambi for this conflict.
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“We have an important Rugby Championship tour coming up and a year-end tour later this year, so we don’t want to take any risks with Bongi,” stated Nienaber.
“Joseph has been working hard at training and he’s been waiting patiently for his chance, and we feel that it doesn’t get better than facing the All Blacks, who are one of the best teams in the world.
“We have big squad and a large part of the logic around that decision was to ensure that all the players are familiar with our structures and systems, and to expose them to Test rugby to build our squad depth with an eye on next year’s Rugby World Cup. So, this will be a fantastic opportunity for Joseph.”
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Nienaber stated Dweba’s robust mixture with Nche additionally performed a function in his leap straight into the Boks’ beginning lineup.
“Joseph and Ox come a long way together. They’ve played close to 100 first-class games together, and they know each other well on and off the field having played together since school level at HTS Louis Botha.
“They progressed through the SA Rugby junior rugby ranks together before forming a strong combination at the Cheetahs in the Currie Cup and Pro14 competitions, and we believe their familiarity will give us the best chance in this match,” added Nienaber.
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TEAMS:
South Africa
15 Damian Willemse (Stormers), 14 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), 13 Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), 12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), 11 Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks), 10 Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers), 9 Jaden Hendrikse (Sharks), 8 Duane Vermeulen (Ulster), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), 6 Siya Kolisi (captain, Sharks), 5 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), 4 Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), 3 Frans Malherbe (Stormers), 2 Joseph Dweba (Stormers), 1 Ox Nche (Sharks)
Substitutes: 16 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), 17 Steven Kitshoff (Stormers), 18 Vincent Koch (Wasps), 19 Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), 20 Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers), 21 Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), 22 Hershel Jantjies (Stormers), 23 Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz)
All Blacks
15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 David Havili, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane (c), 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Sam Whitelock, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Ethan de Groot
Substitutes: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 George Bower, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Tupou Vaa’i, 20 Akira Ioane, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Quinn Tupaea