Experienced playmaker Handré Pollard has been recalled to steady the ship after the Springboks were on the receiving end of a savage beating at the hands of the Wallabies in Johannesburg last week.
Pollard takes the place of Manie Libbok for a crunch Rugby Championship rematch between the sides in Cape Town on Saturday (kickoff 5.10pm).
Frustrated Bok coach Rassie Erasmus, who roasted his side’s performance after they blew a 22-0 lead at Ellis Park, has rung the changes in a bid to get his team back on the winning track.
Powerful centre Jesse Kriel will take over the captain’s armband from injured Siya Kolisi when the Boks bid to keep their hopes of Rugby Championship glory alive. SA will also be missing Pieter-Steph du Toit (concussion), Kurt-Lee Arendse (knee injury) and Edwill van der Merwe (ankle injury) for their second game.
Erasmus named a team featuring 10 changes, including returns for Cheslin Kolbe, Damian de Allende and Bok centurion Willie le Roux. Powerful prop Ox Nché will serve as Kriel’s vice-captain for the first time in his international career, which dates back to 2018, when he made his Springbok debut against Wales in Washington DC.
Only five players in the starting line-up retained their places from the team’s 38-22 defeat to the Wallabies at Ellis Park.
The only change to the front row was the inclusion of prop Thomas du Toit, who will pack down alongside Nché and Malcolm Marx. The experienced duo of Kriel and De Allende reunite in the midfield for the 38th time, while Grant Williams and Pollard will pair up at halfback.
Erasmus said the changes were made because of injuries and strategic adjustments.
“We lost four players to injury last weekend, which had an impact on a few of our selections,” he said. “But we also know where we went wrong against Australia, so we made a few changes we believe will offer us what we need for this game.
“Damian and Cheslin have also recovered from their injuries, and with their experience and knowledge of the Wallabies, it was a logical choice to recall them.
“We are determined to get things right this week. Prop Boan Venter got a taste of what it’s like to face Australia last week, and Ruan Nortjé did well against them last year. It will be good for a few other guys to experience playing against one of the top teams in the world, especially as we continue to build our squad depth.
“We are pleased with this squad, and we are all aligned on what we have to do to lift our standards this week.”
Erasmus said he expected another physical battle against the Wallabies.
“There’s no doubt they’ll take a lot of confidence from their victory last week, and especially since that marked their first victory at Ellis Park against us in the professional era,” he said.
“We are still hurting from that result, and the coaches and players are extremely disappointed with the way we played last week. The Boks know we didn’t play according to our standards in the second half, and we must rectify that. We let ourselves and the country down, so we have all the motivation we need to make things right this week.”
Springbok squad: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel (capt), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Jean-Luc du Preez, 7 Franco Mostert, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.
Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Lood de Jager, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
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