Springboks talisman Cheslin Kolbe says he is excited at the prospect of potentially playing in his first-ever Test match Ellis Park on Saturday.
As the venue where the Springboks won their maiden Rugby World Cup title in fairytale fashion in 1995, Ellis Park is the home of South African rugby.
And the the Springboks are set to play their last home Test of the season there this coming weekend, when they take on Argentina in a must-win encounter in order to stand a chance of winning the Rugby Championship (that’s if Australia find a way to beat the All Blacks earlier in the day).
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AIR KOLBE TO DEBUT AT ELLIS PARK?
Jacques Nienaber is set to announce the team on Tuesday and should Kolbe be selected in the match day squad, it will mark his first appearance in the green and gold at Ellis Park – a prospect that excited him immensely.
“I’ve never played at Ellis Park as a Springbok, so if I get the opportunity to play, it would be fantastic,” said Kolbe.
“The atmosphere at the stadium is electric and we’d love it if people come out in numbers and support us. It’s our last home game before we leave for the World Cup, so it would be special to play in front of a passionate crowd.”
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AERIAL BATTLE KEY FOR SPRINGBOKS
In previewing the game against Argentina, Kolbe identified two key areas of the game the Springboks have to dominate in order to emerge as victors.
“The aerial contest and battle for dominance is going to be big. Argentina showed in their last two matches what they can do, and with players in their backline that have played on the Sevens circuit, they’ll pose challenges.”
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Looking ahead to the team’s final Rugby Championship battle, we’ve gathered some information, and this is the team that could look line up on Saturday.
Springboks’ possible line up: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 André Esterhuizen, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Duane Vermeulen (captain), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Trevor Nyakane.
All in all, it would still be a very strong side, with a mix between Springbok regulars and a few ‘fringe’ players.
* Let us know by clicking on the comment button at the end of this article if you feel this is what the third Test team of the year could look like?
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SOUTH AFRICA’S RESULTS AND FIXTURES IN 2023
Rugby Championship:
✈ 8 July: South Africa beat Australia 43-12 (Pretoria)
✈ 15 July: Springboks lost to New Zealand 35-20 (Auckland)
✈ 29 July: South Africa vs Argentina (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
World Cup warm-ups:
✈ 5 August: Springboks vs Argentina (Vélez Stadium, Buenos Aires)
✈ 19 August: South Africa vs Wales (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
✈ 25 August: Springboks New Zealand (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Rugby World Cup:
✈ 10 September: South Africa vs Scotland (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille)
✈ 17 September: Springboks vs Romania (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux)
✈ 23 September: South Africa vs Ireland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris)
✈ 1 October: South Africa vs Tonga (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille)
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