Cornal Hendricks
Ruan Pienaar
JP Pietersen
South Africa’s Sevens Player of 2013, Cornal Hendricks, will make his debut for South Africa in the 15-man code next to ten players who started in the Springboks’ final Test of 2013 when they face a star-studded World XV, sponsored by Samsung, at DHL Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday (kick-off at 17:00 SA Time).
The speedy Hendricks is the only newcomer in the team as Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer opted for continuity in his team’s first match of the year.
The old firm of Bakkies Botha and interim captain Victor Matfield are re-united in the second row. JP Pietersen moves to outside centre. Schalk Burger makes a return to the side for the first time in two and a half years while Frans Steyn, Schalk Brits, Lwazi Mvovo and Johan Goosen are also back after playing no Test rugby last year.
sarugby
The five players who started in the 19-10 win over France in Paris last November but are not in the starting team this week, are the injured Jean de Villiers, Jaque Fourie and Eben Etzebeth, as well as Flip van der Merwe and Coenie Oosthuizen, who will both start on the bench.
“It’s positive to have this kind of continuity in our first start of the year,” said Meyer on Wednesday.
“Even though we’ll be starting with a new midfield combination, Frans and JP have both played more than 50 Tests for the Boks and with Bryan Habana also in the backline, Cornal will start with a lot of experience around him.”
“We’re expecting a stern test on Saturday against the World XV and our mindset is to make our nation proud – it should never be anything else when the Springboks play. It will also be a good way to start the season before our first Test next week against Wales, but for now we’re only focused on the World XV and playing well.”
“Our aim for the season is to accelerate and make a step up from 2013. To put ourselves in a position to do that, we simply have to start well.”
Of the 23 in action on Saturday, 13 featured in the victory in Paris. One of the new faces is Matfield, who has been named captain with De Villiers out injured during the Castle Lager Incoming Series this month. It will be the 100-times capped lock’s first match in the green and gold since the Rugby World Cup in 2011.
Meyer said it was pleasing to see Matfield and Botha re-united, while he was also very excited about the prospects of Hendricks on the wing, Pietersen at outside centre and the return of Burger, Brits and Steyn.
“If anyone told me two years ago that Victor and Bakkies would play together again for the Boks, I probably wouldn’t have believed it. They have been great servants of the game in South Africa and now have the opportunity to take it further.”
“We’re also keen to see what JP can offer at outside centre, where he’s played very well for the Cell C Sharks earlier in his career and for his club in Japan.”
“Cornal is a player I’ve been following for some time and I thought he made a very good transition from sevens to the 15-man code earlier this year. He’s big and very fast, and hopefully we’ll be able to provide him with some space to attack in. The Springbok Sevens can be very proud of the way in which they aided in his development to a top-class player.”
“Frans and Schalk Brits are both special players with the X-factor and it’s wonderful to have them back. Their attitude has been superb and I know they can add a lot in the coming weeks. Lwazi has been great for the Cell C Sharks this year and I believe he can make an impact later in the match, while I’ve always rated Johan and it’s good to see him getting back to his best.”
“This was a tough team selection to make and a couple of players were unlucky to miss out, but I know all of them will keep on pressing hard for selection in the weeks to come. I always like it if players in the team must make it easy for me to leave them in, and players outside the team must make it difficult to leave them out.”
Springbok team: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 JP Pietersen, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Victor Matfield (Captain), 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis (Vice-captain), 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Gurthrö Steenkamp, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Schalk Burger, 21 Fourie du Preez, 22 Johan Goosen, 23 Lwazi Mvovo.
Stats and facts:
- The Springboks’ starting team boasts a total of 762 Test caps (339 in the backline and 423 in the forwards), while there are a further 248 caps worth of experience on the bench.
- South Africa have played against World XV’s on three occasions at home since 1977, with the Springboks winning all three matches. The score in 1977 was 45-24 and in 1989 20-19 and 22-16 respectively.
- The Springboks have scored 78 points and 11 tries and conceded 59 points and nine tries for an average score of 29-20.
- At the end of 2006, a Springbok XV lost to a World XV in Leicester.
- Cornal Hendricks, the only uncapped player in the side, represented the Springbok Sevens from 2011-2013.
- The referee is the 37-year-old George Clancy of Ireland. This will be his ninth Springbok Test as referee. The Boks have won six and lost two of these eight encounters. His last Test for SA was against Australia on 7 September, 2013 at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, where the Boks won by 38-12.
There is a rumor Percy might come on in the second half… and …. **** I need a drink
31 @ Gena_ZA:
I would have played Lwazi Mvovo long before the Show Pony from Toulon, called Habana!
Also wouldn’t play Habana
Maybe the team needs someone who can take their “selfie” pictures with his cell on a stick after the game?
@GBS
6 Sharks against 1 Stormer and 1 Bull in the starting lineup, and still the Sharkies are boycotting RT.
Hulle moet of nog baie die moer in wees of baie skaam oor hulle op hulle moer gekry het Saterdag
😀
The problem with Pienaar is he plays 1 great game, 1 ok game and then 2 lousy games for the Springboks. There is no consistency. JP has been good at centre in the past for the Sharks, but will be a bit rusty there. He will be lucky to get the ball, because if Fransie gets the ball, he will do 1 of 2 things with it: kick, or try to bash his way through. No creativity there. So I feel a bit for Cornal and Willie. Would have loved to have seen Bossie play from the bench. We know what the Goose can do. Maybe he wants M Steyn to get some game time before the tests against Wales?
nortierd wrote:
Aint reality a bitch?
34 @ nortierd:
Starting:
6 Sharks
5 Overseas players
2 Cheetahs
1 Bull
1 Stormer
0 Lions
Fark, the least Number of Bulls & Stormers players EVER in a Bok starting lineup?
Bench:
3 Overseas players
2 Cheetahs
1 Bull
1 Stormer
1 Shark
0 Lions
Overall:
8 Overseas players
7 Sharks
4 Cheetahs
2 Bulls
2 Stormers
0 Lions
Damn, Heyneke will have to start weaning the Bokke off these overseas players… keeping on selecting them is going to shoot us in the foot in the long run!
In reality, if you count the Sharks as “Overseas Players” or “From a Different Country” or “Foreign”, as they have shown us they want to be recently… the Team has 15 “Foreign” players out of 23… scary stuff!
@36 & 37
Lol
GBS, jy soek mos nou verder met die arme siele, maar ja, as hulle as n aparte Republiek tel, dan lyk dinge beroerd.
Ten minste kan hulle nie HM beskou as Blou bril op die oomblik nie
38 @ nortierd:
Janee, daai ding van “Blou Brille” is nou finaal die nek in geslaan!
Heyneke moet sy swart en wit brille afhal en sy flokken oe oopmaak!
MacroBok wrote:
Hoor hoor
Die Bulle en Stormers het die Guppies geklop die jaar, hel man, as HM net n klomp Highlanders gekies het sou ons n beter kans gestaan het
“JP’s midfield move excites Meyer”
Waar op aarde kom JC van SARugbymag aan die kak headline?
Surely HM can’t lead such a dull life that JP at center would excite him?
Maybe he is big in Japan, but in SR 2014 he has been a midget compared to the decent backline players around
Pity S’Bura Sithole or Juan de Jongh is not at No 13!
Both way better than JP Pietersen this year!!
It’s going to be a difficult pick on Bru for this game, I recon the World XV could possibly take this game!
ill give jpp a chance. lwazi has been good at fullback, not even jonah lonu would stand out in this sharks attack
jpp kry so min bal hy skrik elke keer as iemand vir hom pass
@ grootblousmile:
5 of those 8 ‘overseas players’ have some Blue Bull history…
MacroBok wrote:
@ Bullscot:
and all 5 of them won superrugby with the bulls
49 @ MacroBok:
MacroBok wrote:
Nothing compared to the Conference Cup title the Sharks players will be winning
nortierd wrote:
That was exactly how i feel. Who asked for this game? I am sure it is a extra game asked by HM.
He is really doing stupid things and soon GBS will see it.
What can he prove with this game, did he abandon JJ and JdJ and Serfontein. What can he learn from a aging JPP in this position? And Frans is history, he must ask SARU to cancell his contract, he will never be fully fit, there will always be doubt about him after the revelations made this week. Give him all his money and start investing in another younger player.
What if all this game time is given to him and he breaks down just before the RWC?
Ruan played good rugby after FduP,s fast out of the blocks first 2 games. In fact FduP played shit after that. Just go back to the R-T articles about that and see the dismay .
Look HM can be bloody lucky, here we are not that fierce against him….. He needs a good proper snot klap.
@Superbul 52
I’m really not convinced that this is even close to the best side we can select. A big part of the problem is that some players MUST be given a national contract, and once the coach has decided who they are, he can’t all of a sudden turn his back on them, irrispective of current form.
It’s an admittance that he erred in giving them a contract in the first place.
If we compare our backline to the one McKenzie selected for the Wallabies, I’m afraid we are sucking hind tit. He dropped Genia completely, no sentiment at all, just form players and a hell of a line up IMO.
This World XV has a very good backline, and I guess our game plan will simply be to bash them up front and kick the leather off the ball and tackle, tackle, tackle and hope for a turnover ball every now and again to run, if they don’t kick that away as well.
If we score any tries that don’t stem from line out mauls, I will be surprised.
Ruan Pienaar?
Fuck no.
gunther wrote:
To quote Heyneke:
“Ruan Pienaar Fuck yeah”
52 @ superBul:
Nou wat moet ek nou so kamstig sien?
Lees die comments in hierdie artikel van my en jy sal sien die span maak vir my ook nie sin nie.
Maar nouja, ek het ook wyer gaan lees oor die hoekoms en waaroms… en ek verstaan nou gedeeltelik hoekom ‘n speler soos JP Pietersen en Ruan Pienaar gekies is.
Maar ek moet bysê, ek stem nie saam met die redenasies daaroor nie, en sou eerder ‘n midfield paar van Jan Serfontein (Nr 12) en S’Bura Sithole of Juan de Jongh (Nr 13) wou hê. Wat my betref hoort JP Pietersen nie naby die Bokgroep in 2014 nie.
Wat Ruan Pienaar aanbetref, hy moes ten eerste nooit in die groter OF verkleinde Bok groep gewees het nie, eerder Cobus Reinach of Charl McLeod. As Fourie du Preez dan nou kort is van onlangse game time, moes Hougie of een van die ander 2 wat ek sopas genoem het die game begin het, met Fourie du Preez op die bank om hom van die bank af game time te gee.
JJ Engelbrecht hoort nie naastenby naby die Bokke op die oomblik nie, hy is tans op die kakste “run of form” in ‘n paar jaar!
Fransie Steyn hoort ook tans nie met sy halwe besering by die Bokke nie, maar eerder onder Jake The Snake White se duim by die Tjarks… niks meer nie.
Pops will be pleased to see Kaino back
All Blacks – 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Cory Jane, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Jerome Kaino, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Liam Messam, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Subs: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Victor Vito, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Malakai Fekitoa.
Matfield…McCaw…Gregan
for next world cup?
MacroBok wrote:
England surely are missing a trick, they shunned Wilko now for the last how many years?
@ nortierd:
Imagine that, he would still have been one of the better match winning flyhalves in 2015 if England did not write him off. could also have been captain.
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