Johan Goosen
Trevor Nyakane
Teboho Mahoje
Coenie Oosthuizen
The Springbok starting team to face Italy in Padova on Saturday shows four changes from the side which beat England at Twickenham last week, with three new faces amongst the pack and one in the backline.
There are also five changes on the bench, with Nizaam Carr and Julian Redelinghuys included in a Test match-23 for the first time.
Trevor Nyakane will start his first Test for South Africa at loosehead prop, while Coenie Oosthuizen moves up from the bench to replace the injured Jannie du Plessis at tighthead. Teboho ‘Oupa’ Mohoje returns to the starting line-up while Johan Goosen has been selected at fullback.
Joining Carr and Redelinghuys on the bench, are Gurthrö Steenkamp, Lood de Jager and Willie le Roux. Tendai Mtawarira has been given a break after carrying a heavy workload recently.
“I’m excited to see what these guys can do on Saturday in what will be a stern Test against a fired-up Italy,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
“We planned to make a few shifts for this Test as I’d like to see if these players can make the step up. The guys coming in deserve their opportunities and seeing that we won’t have our overseas-based players available next week against Wales, it made sense to bring a few of them in this week.”
Meyer said he was impressed by the commitment shown by all the uncapped players at training on the tour and that Carr and Redelinghuys are ready for selection.
Julian Redelinghuys
Nizaam Carr
“Nizaam can cover all the positions in the back-row and his call-up is just-reward after a very good season for the DHL Stormers and Western Province,” said the Springbok coach.
“Julian has been superb for the Lions this season and he’s shown that he can scrum. Both of them are now familiar with our plays and structures and I’m looking forward to see what they can bring on Saturday.
“It will also be a good test for Johan, who I’ve always regarded as a possibility at fullback. He has a great skill-set and a massive boot which will come in handy on Saturday if we have to play in wet weather again.”
Meyer said the Test against Italy will pose different challenges to what the Springboks had faced thus far on the tour.
“They are a passionate nation with a very experienced coach in Jacques Brunel and a world-class captain in Sergio Parisse,” said Meyer.
“The Italian pack is always formidable and their backs are not scared of taking chances. Our focus is to show improvements from our performance at Twickenham and we know it will be a big challenge on Saturday.”
Springbok team:
15 Johan Goosen (5 caps, 8 points)
14 JP Pietersen (58 caps, 90 points)
13 Jan Serfontein (18 caps,10 points)
12 Jean de Villiers (Captain – 104 caps, 135 points)
11 Bryan Habana (105 caps, 280 points)
10 Pat Lambie (38 caps, 97 points)
9 Cobus Reinach (4 caps, 5 points)
8 Duane Vermeulen (27 caps, 10 points)
7 Teboho “Oupa” Mohoje (5 caps, 0 points)
6 Marcell Coetzee (24 caps, 30 points)
5 Victor Matfield (Vice-captain – 119 caps, 35 points)
4 Eben Etzebeth (31 caps, 0 points)
3 Coenie Oosthuizen (19 caps, 10 points)
2 Adriaan Strauss (42 caps, 25 points)
1 Trevor Nyakane (11 caps, 5 points)
Replacements:
16 Bismarck du Plessis (68 caps, 45 points)
17 Gurthrö Steenkamp (52 caps, 30 points)
18 Julian Redelinghuys (0 caps, 0 points)
19 Lood de Jager (7 caps, 10 points)
20 Nizaam Carr (0 caps, 0 points)
21 Francois Hougaard (33 caps, 25 points)
22 Handré Pollard (7 caps, 61 points)
23 Willie le Roux (23 caps, 35 points)
Stats and facts:
- The Springbok starting team boasts a total of 610 Test caps (332 in the backline and 278 in the forwards), while there are a further 190 caps worth of experience on the bench.
- South Africa and Italy have played each other 11 times since 1995, with the Springboks winning all 11 Tests. The Springboks have scored 577 points and 79 tries and conceded 139 points and 12 tries for an average score of 52-13.
- South Africa and Italy last met on 8 June 2013 at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban. The Springboks won 44-10 and outscored Italy by five tries to one. •Jean de Villiers will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok centre, with 89 Tests in this position and will captain South Africa for the 33rd time, placing him third behind John Smit (83) and Gary Teichmann (36).
- Victor Matfield will extend his record as the most capped Springbok in history (119 Tests). He will also extend his record of 119 Tests as a lock and will also extend his record as the oldest Springbok ever at 37 years & 188 days.
- Bryan Habana will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok wing, with 104 Tests in this position. If he scores a try, he will extend his record of 56 Test tries for South Africa.
- Matfield and Habana will share the record for the most Tests against Italy when they play the Azzurri for the sixth time – they previously shared this record with Ruan Pienaar and Andre Venter.
- If he goes on and scores a try Bismarck du Plessis will extend his record of nine Test tries for South Africa as a hooker.
- If he goes on and scores a try, Gurthro Steenkamp will extend his record of six tries for South Africa as a prop.
- Willie le Roux, Duane Vermeulen, Jannie du Plessis and Bismarck du Plessis have played in all eleven Tests for the Springboks in 2014. Bryan Habana, Cornal Hendricks and Tendai Mtawarira have both missed only one Test in 2014.
- Johan Goosen will start at fullback for the first time in a Test. Trevor Nyakane will be in the starting line-up for the first time after 11 appearances from the bench. Coenie Oosthuizen will start at tight-head for the first time since France in November 2013. Oosthuizen started at loose-head against Scotland earlier this year.
- Julian Redelinghuys and Nizaam Carr will both make their debuts for South Africa if they come off the bench, becoming Springboks No 865 and 866. Ten new Springboks have been created to date in 2014.
- It will be the fifth time that a Springbok team has three centurions in the starting line-up. The four previous times were against Australia and New Zealand in the Rugby Championship and against Ireland and England.
- It will be Heyneke Meyer’s 36th Test in charge of the Springboks since he took over in 2012. Of the previous 35 Tests South Africa have won 25, lost eight and drawn twice.
- The referee is Jerome Garces of France. It will be his fourth Test involving South Africa. Of the previous three Tests the Springboks have won two and lost one. His last Test involving South Africa was in September this year against New Zealand in Wellington in the Rugby Championship – a game that the Springboks lost narrowly by 10-14.
- This will be the Springbok’s first ever Test match at Stadio Euganio, Padova.
Coenie at TIGHTHEAD PROP is just so bloody wrong… but we all knew it would be the selection.
I feel for Seabelo Senatla, Lwazi Mvovo, Jaco Kriel… they deserved a run against Italy… at least!
Still not a bad team… actually quite a strong team!
Why on earth take 36 players and have no interest in using some of them?
Poor De Allende for example, he might as well have been allowed to play CC, when is the last time he has even been on a field?
@ nortie:
Oh, and none of that “getting to know the culture” bull.
Where are the passengers who “got to know the culture” on last year’s November tour.
@ nortie:
I think its still an honour for de allende to be there… But in thrn they are really messing him around. Even the overseas based players like jano or morne. Whats the point? Are they at least releasing these players?
And coenie at tighthead while the bok staff admited statistically he is mostly useless near the end of the game.
Happy for redelinghuys and carr though. Really hope they get 40 minutes and not 2 minutes, only way for that to happen isnto build up a substantial lead though.
Goosen at fullback is worth it, but i really feel bad for Lwazi and damien who were two of the beast backline players in super ruugby in south africa.
Mostly only usefull near the end ofnthe game with less scrums*coenie
@ MacroBok:
Yep, the worry is that if he isn’t willing to experiment and give some fringe tourists a shot against Italy, then it’s safe to assume he never will.
Yes, don’t underestimate Italy, but unlike Ireland, who are 6 nations champions, Italy have only won something like 1 test in their last 13.
They are not strong enough opposition to beat a Bok side if they featured a host of new players, and he could have left all the “overseas” Boks out and played the same team next week, using Italy as a warm up game for the new team
nortie wrote:
Heyneke cant play the same team next week. He promised that Lambie/Cobus and Pollard/Hougie will have 2 games each. 🙂
He cant be seen as a liar……….
nortie wrote:
Well we struggled against argentinia who won like 1 game in 17 😛 we can still be vulnerable if they take us on up front, with Coenie starting and Guthro and Lood on the bench… this may well be the case.
Look I dont buy the fact that we have to leave out the overseas player this week in preparation for next week, then we may as well have left them out last week in preparation for this week for next week, if they are there and available to use then fine, but no need to let them hang around pointlessly. They want to see Johan at fullback, and it may boost our kicks for goal to have those 50m+ kicks in range again.
nortie wrote:
Someone must carry the tackle bags. 🙂
@ Snoek:
😆
True story….boy scout credo
@ MacroBok:
Why do they want to see Johan at fullback?
They have seen him p,ay for the Cheetahs for a couple of seasons, and not once was his name mentioned as a possible fullback.
Then he ups and goes to France, and because his new club played him at 15 in one game, all of a sudden the Bok staff need to see how he goes at 15?
If they had the vision, they could have done it over the last 2-3 seasons or even could have asked Naka to p,ay him there
8 @ MacroBok:
“Well we struggled against argentinia who won like 1 game in 17”
True, but the difference is the Kenners all rate Argentina…..I have yet to see anyone here proclaim greatness over the Italians 😆
nortie wrote:
If Italy runs us close we will hear how their ranking actually means nothing and if Malet was still the coach they would have been in the top 3 by now.
Anything goes to defend the coach…….. 😉
@ nortie:
I would much rather see Lwazi at FB and I have said so a few times the last few days, maybe Goosen is there mostly for long range goal kicks, I have no idea… maybe he surprises us (albeit for one game).
Maybe they used up all their brain power when they selected Coenie at 3.
We all will hope that they “finally” learn their lesson that he should not play there, but as murphys law would have it he will have a cracker of a game like against France last year. 😆
13 @ Snoek:
They have slightly inproved without Mallet 😀
I have a felling that they will run us close, not becasue they should be in the top three, but because the tight 5 we selected is pretty weak apart from the Bulls in there. 😆
Snoek wrote:
We have already heard often enough that the rankings don’t mean anything 😆
@ nortie:
Way off topic again, are you going to bring up TV producers next? 😛
MacroBok wrote:
I’m not sure why they would need Goosen for the long kicks….. Lambie showed before he can nail long kicks.
Don’t let Ben’s opinions about bringing Morne back to get the long kicks fool you. The only reason Lambie did not go for goal with the long penalties was because Matfield / JDV instructed him to go for the lineout.
@ MacroBok:
We should still comfortably win by at least 15 points, irrespective of who is in the tight 5, or who isn’t.
@ Snoek:
Yep it would be pointless having Goosen in the team for long range kicks and then going for touch anyway 😆 Which is likely to happen.
I agree some of those kicks should have been in Lambies range this weekend even if it is not in the highveld.
nortie wrote:
As long as we take all the points on offer.
@ MacroBok:
How can it be off topic if it is a direct answer to Snoek talking about the rankings?
It was a topical answer to a topic mentioned.
Focus MB, focus 😆
MacroBok wrote:
Agree
So what happened to Tom and Jerry’s relationship?
You once upon a time was so in sync against our poor Shark supporters.
He he…….. kiss and make up!
@ nortie:
MY fear is that these guys will look at this game our loosies will feel like they have nothing to gain and they can take the foot of the peddle a bit, those Italians are goign to try and frustrate the crap our of us in the loose.
Meyer made a serious error not starting someone fresh like Carr or Kriel to keep the guys on their toes.
24 @ Snoek:
Ha ha
Jerry post maar min deesdae, ek los dit vir Tom.
Sharkbashing season only opens somewhere in February 2015 again 😆
@ MacroBok:
I also feel sorry for Kriel, in great form and not even on the bench.
Tom and Jerry!
Attachment:
@ Snoek:
I think all our members our 7 guests and 10 bots have heard the tale about the rankings quite a few times everytime someone mistakenly mentions rankings.
You have to think twice what you say to Nortie these days or he will regurgetate things said months ago
But we will always share the same opinion about the sharks
@ nortie:
Me too, but I think Kriel will appreciate being on the Radar, and had the Lions not played the Final his story could have been different?
It is going to be extremely difficult to surpass Coetzee and Louw in the pecking order unfortunately…
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