Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber has handed Warrick Gelant a begin on the best wing and recalled scrumhalf Faf de Klerk in the one two changes to his beginning team for his or her Rugby Championship tour match towards Australia in Adelaide on Saturday.
Kick-off is at 07:30 (SA time).
Gelant takes over from Jesse Kriel on the wing, whereas De Klerk has accomplished his return to play protocol after lacking the second Test towards New Zealand due to concussion and slots in for Jaden Hendrikse.
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Nienaber additionally made three adjustments to the replacements bench, which includes a split of 5 forwards and three backs, the place Hendrikse takes over from Herschel Jantjies, whereas Elton Jantjies will present flyhalf cowl and Frans Steyn extra cowl on the again.
Willie le Roux and Jasper Wiese are usually not in the match-23 this weekend.
“This is a very important clash for us to set the tone for our Rugby Championship tour and we feel that continuity in selection is important to build momentum in our campaign,” stated Nienaber.
“Warrick was in good form for the Stormers earlier this season and he has been working hard at training, so we thought it would be good to give him a run on the wing. He also combined well with Damian Willemse in the United Rugby Championship, so we are excited to see what they offer us in the match.
“Faf, meanwhile, is back from concussion and his experience will be important in this game.
“We also feel it is important to give the likes of Ox (Nche), Joseph (Dweba) and Duane (Vermeulen) another opportunity to further build combinations and give them valuable game time as we build toward the Rugby World Cup next year.”
Of the choice to swap from a six-two to a five-three split on the bench, Nienaber stated that they had checked out what Australia convey to the sport.
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“That combined with our need to give Elton and Frans Steyn some vital game time, prompted us to select five forwards and three backs on the bench.
“With Franco (Mostert) and Kwagga (Smith) on the bench, we will have cover at lock and looseforward, while Frans Steyn’s versatility will also be handy as he can cover centre and fullback. These changes obviously mean that Willie, Jasper and Herschel lose out, but we know what we have in them and what they bring to the team.”
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Nienaber anticipated a giant onslaught from the Wallabies who will likely be equally decided to bounce again from their defeat towards Argentina and stated: “Australia are all the time a troublesome pressure at house and the truth that we haven’t crushed them right here since 2013 is proof of that.
“Much like us, they will also want to bounce back after going down against Argentina, so we expect them to come out firing. The fact that this will be the first Test between the teams in Adelaide will serve as extra motivation for both teams this weekend, so we are preparing for another epic encounter against them.”
Nienaber added: “We had a thorough review of our last match against New Zealand, and we have identified the areas of our game in which we need improve. We know we need to make a big step-up in the quality of our performance to start the tour on a positive note, and that is a big objective for us this weekend.”
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Springboks team to face Australia in Adelaide:
Australia
TBA
South Africa
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Warrick Gelant, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ox Nche
Substitutes: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Frans Steyn
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Springbok report towards the Wallabies in Australia:
Played 41; Won 12; Lost 27; Drawn 2; Points for: 685, Points towards: 900; Tries scored 80, Tries conceded 91; Highest rating 38-12 in Brisbane (2013); Biggest win 26 factors in Brisbane (2013). Win % 29%.
Milestones:
- Handre Pollard wants one level to earn 50 Test factors towards Australia.
- Joseph Dweba will play his first Test towards Australia, with Jaden Hendrikse additionally on debut towards the Wallabies if he takes the sphere.
Miscellaneous:
- The whole Test caps for the Springbok beginning line-up is 671.
- There are 254 caps in the backline with 417 caps amongst the forwards. On the bench there are an additional 353 caps.
- The common caps per participant in the backline are 36, the forwards 52, whereas the gamers on the bench common 44.
