Three changes for the Boks ahead of Scotland clash
The Springboks have been forced into one change and made two
further adjustments to their starting fifteen for their upcoming test match
against Scotland at Murryfield on Saturday.
Damien Willemse misses out following a concussion against Wales last weekend and has been forced into the return to play protocols which rules him out of contention.
The other two changes are rotational with Franco Mostert and Elton Jantjies coming into the starting line-up with Lood de Jager and Handré Pollard shifting to the bench.
There are a few milestones on the cards for the Boks this weekend with Mostert and Jesse Kriel both earning their 50th caps for the Springboks while Francois Steyn will overtake Victory Matfield for the longest running Springbok career.
Should Steyn come off the bench on Saturday it will take his international career beyond the 15 year mark.
“Playing international rugby for 15 years is an extraordinary achievement and what makes this feat even more remarkable is that Frans continues to show his class despite being at the twilight of his career,” said coach Jacques Nienaber.
“His influence is equally valuable off the field and it is
fantastic to have a player of his calibre guide the young players in the squad.
“It will be a special day for Jesse and Franco as they run out for their 50th
Tests at Murrayfield. They are both fantastic servants of the game and their
high work ethic and true team attitude make them vital members of our squad,
and we are all delighted to see them achieve this feat.”
Giving Jantjies a start in the number ten jersey was a well thought out decision from Nienaber and his coaching staff.
“Elton has been training very well since the squad assembled before the Lions Series and he’s performed well every time he earned a run, so we thought it was the right time to hand him a start.”
Scotland beat Australia last weekend and have picked up victories against England and France in the Six Nations this year. With those results in mind Nienaber understands the difficulty of the task ahead this weekend.
“Scotland have a quality team with a number of experienced players and a few British & Irish Lions players, so we are under no illusions about the challenge ahead,” he said.
“They are a physical side with solid set pieces, but they also have the skills to run the ball, so we’ll have to be accurate on attack and defence.
“The scrums will of course be a key battle with former Springbok scrum coach Pieter de Villiers now serving that role for Scotland, but that is an area of the game we pride ourselves on too, so we need to be physical and accurate up front.”
Springbok team to face Scotland in Edinburgh:
15 Willie le Roux, 14 Jesse Kriel, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole
Mapimpi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Kwagga
Smith, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Trevor Nyakane,
2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nché.
Replacements:
16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Lood de Jager, 20
Jasper Wiese, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 Frans Steyn.
