Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer on Wednesday named the same starting line-up that beat New Zealand a month ago to face Ireland in the opening Test of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour on Dublin on Saturday.
The only change to the match-day squad is at replacement prop, where the injured Marcel van der Merwe is replaced by Coenie Oosthuizen.
“Although Julian Redelinghuys was also considered, he’s still new in the team and not familiar with our patterns of play and especially the line-out calls, while Coenie knows the way we play well,” said Meyer.
“Coenie is also in great shape and we know what he can do, especially if he has to make an impact off the bench. It’s good to have him back.”
Meyer was very happy with the continuity in selection from the last Test.
“It’s only the fifth time in what will be the 34th Test since I was appointed as Springbok coach that we’ve been able to select an unchanged starting line-up,” said Meyer.
“In this day and age, not making changes to teams is pretty much unheard of, but this is a great position we’re in. However, we need to make it count against a very tough Irish side on Saturday.
“Although we won our last Test, the challenge this week is to make another step up. It’s imperative that we improve in all facets of our play.”
Springbok team:
15 Willie le Roux (21 caps, 35 points)
14 Cornal Hendricks (9 caps, 25 points)
13 Jan Serfontein (16 caps, 5 points)
12 Jean de Villiers (Captain – 102 caps, 135 points)
11 Bryan Habana (103 caps, 280 points)
10 Handré Pollard (6 caps, 56 points)
9 Francois Hougaard (32 caps, 25 points)
8 Duane Vermeulen (25 caps, 10 points)
7 Teboho “Oupa” Mohoje (3 caps, 0 points)
6 Marcell Coetzee (22 caps, 25 points)
5 Victor Matfield (Vice-captain – 117 caps, 35 points)
4 Eben Etzebeth (29 caps, 0 points)
3 Jannie du Plessis (60 caps, 5 points)
2 Bismarck du Plessis (66 caps, 45 points)
1 Tendai Mtawarira (61 caps, 10 points)
Replacements:
16 Adriaan Strauss ( 40 caps, 25 points)
17 Trevor Nyakane (9 caps, 5 points)
18 Coenie Oosthuizen (17 caps, 10 points)
19 Bakkies Botha (83 caps, 35 points)
20 Schalk Burger (73 caps, 65 points)
21 Cobus Reinach (2 caps, 0 points)
22 Pat Lambie (36 caps, 81 points)
23 JP Pietersen (56 caps, 85 points)
Stats and facts:
- The Springbok starting team boasts a total of 672 Test caps (289 in the backline and 383 in the forwards), while there are a further 316 caps worth of experience on the bench.
- South Africa and Ireland have played each other 21 times since 1906, with the Springboks winning 16 Tests, losing four and one was drawn. The Springboks have scored 417 points and 60 tries and conceded 248 points and 24 tries for an average score of 20-12.
- South Africa and Ireland last met on 10 November 2012 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The Springboks won 16-12.
- Jean de Villiers will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok centre, with 87 Tests in this position and will captain South Africa for the 31st time, placing him third behind John Smit (83) and Gary Teichmann (36).
- Victor Matfield will extend his own record as the most capped Springbok in history (117 Tests). He will also extend his record of 117 Tests as a lock and will also extend his record as the oldest Springbok ever at 37 years & 146 days.
- Bryan Habana will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok wing, with 102 Tests in this position. If he scores a try, he will extend his record of 56 Test tries for South Africa.
- If he scores a try Bismarck du Plessis will extend his record of nine Test tries for South Africa as a hooker. Bismarck and his older brother Jannie will extend their record of playing together in 40 Tests for the Springboks. Bismarck, Jannie and Tendai Mtawarira will also extend their record of 15 tests in the starting line-up as a front-row trio for South Africa.
- If he goes on as a flank, Schalk Burger will extend his own record as the most-capped Springbok flanker in history (71 caps). If he goes on as a flank and scores a try, he will become the sole record-holder for most Test tries as a flanker (11), a record he currently shares with Juan Smith.
- Willie le Roux, Cornal Hendricks, Duane Vermeulen, Jannie du Plessis and Bismarck du Plessis have played in all nine Tests for the Springboks in 2014. Bryan Habana and Tendai Mtawarira have both missed only one Test in 2014.
- Schalk Burger (Jnr) and Cobus Reinach (both on the bench) are sons of former Springboks. Schalk Burger (Snr) played six Tests for South Africa (1984-1986) and the late Jaco Reinach four Tests for South Africa in 1986. They played together in all four Tests against the New Zealand Cavaliers in 1986.
- For Pat Lambie this is a return to the city where he made his Test debut off the bench against Ireland in 2010.
- It will be the third time in history that a Springbok team will have three centurions in the starting line-up. The two previous occasions were against Australia and New Zealand in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship earlier this year.
- Adriaan Strauss played against his cousin Richardt Strauss when the Springboks and Ireland last met in Dublin on 10 November, 2012. They are likely to meet each other again as Richardt is in the Ireland squad for this Test match.
- It will be Heyneke Meyer’s 34th Test in charge of the Springboks since he took over in 2012. Of the previous 33 Tests South Africa have won 24, lost seven and drawn twice. His winning percentage of 73% is second only to Kitch Christie’s 100% (14 Tests 1994-1995) since 1992.
- The referee is Romain Poite of France. It will be his fifth Test involving South Africa. In previous Tests the Springboks have won three and lost one. His last Test involving South Africa was in June this year against Wales in Durban – a game that the Springboks won 38-16.
Springbok Test match records in Dublin:
- Most points – 12 by Percy Montgomery (3c, 2p) against Ireland on 28 November, 1998 and Percy Montgomery again on 13 November, 2004 (4p).
- Most tries – three by Jan Stegmann and “Boetie” McHardy against Ireland on 30 November, 1912.
- Most conversions – three Gerhard Morkel against Ireland on 30 November, 1912 and by Percy Montgomery against Ireland on 28 November, 1998.
- Most penalty goals – four by Percy Montgomery against Ireland on 13 November, 2004.
- Most drop goals – one by Hannes Brewis against Ireland on 8 December, 1951 and by Morne Steyn against Ireland on 28 November, 2009.
Date: Saturday 8 November
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Kick-Off: 19:30 SA Time (17:30 BST & GMT)
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees: Mathieu Raynal (France), Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO: Jim Yuille (Scotland)
Watch the Springbok scrum go backwards when Coenie comes on. I think he has had only 1 good outing at 3 for the Bokke. Oi Vey!!!
“… and we know what he (Coenie) can do.”
Presies; hy skrum met ‘n boggelrug & in tru-rat …
Springboks have had a month off now, so will be a percentage point or 2 rusty to start with, so expect Ireland to start the game strong, but for the Bokke to find their mojo after 15 minutes or so and to push hard from there, because they are well rested and properly conditioned.
Continuity is always important in selection, so no problem with the Bok starting side…
I would not have wanted or preferred Coenie die Boef on the bench, but rather Julian Redelinghuys… pity.
Would have worked so well if Redelinghuys got 25 minutes or so and then to start against England and again against Italy… and if he came through with flying colours to also start and play against Wales.
There is very little time and scope to bring another tighthead through for the World Cup and only doing it in the abbreviated Rugby Championship next year is very late in the day.
I hope Eben Etzebeth is now back up to speed, because he was somewhat of a passenger during The Rugby Championship after injury comeback.
I would also have liked to have seen Lwazi Mvovo on the replacement bench in place of JP Pietersen due to the fact that he can play wing and fullback and because JP Pietersen has in my opinion reached close to the end of his international quality and is not what he used to be.
Against Italy Seabelo Senatla MUST also get a run, as well as Jaco Kriel.
I would have started with Adriaan Strauss.
And of course, I would have left Jannie back home….
4 @ Stormersboy:
Hehehe, the surname Du Plessis seems to give you the heebie-jeebies!
WP had such good Du Plessis’ players… you of all people should be rooting for the Du Plessis’ boykies… hehehe
I wonder what has now happened with the Juan Smith “experiment”?
Was it really worth the effort to have gone through all that trouble for 1 additional test cap?
@ grootblousmile:
Only the Capies. The Vrystaaters / Banana boys give me the horries.
7 @ Stormersboy:
Well, let me enlighten you… your famous Capatin Morné du Plessis, went to Grey College in Bloemfontein…
@ grootblousmile: But that’s not where he played his rugby, so it doesn’t count 😛
9 @ Stormersboy:
Oh yeah… he had a Vrystaat jersey over his head before he wore a Province one…
OK not the senior side one, but nonetheless, he learnt his rugby in Blingfontein… not in Slaapstad.
Very predictable team, Julian always had a better chance of getting pregnant than playing in this game with Jannie and Coenie fit, hopefully he will get a chance vs Italy.
Hopefully Oupa can keep building on the promise.
Turbo reverse.
😆
@ MacroBok:
Isn’t Jannie a Punani Doctor?
In which case he’s got a reasonable chance of falling pregnant.
Especially with a name like Julian.
gunther wrote:
Correct, playing Jannie and Doodpo*s against the scrum savvy Northern Hemisphere teams is looking for trouble
gunther wrote:
Jannie is there to remove Doodpo*s’ head from his rectum after the game
15 @ Victoriabok:
No Doc Jannie failed “Rectrum Extraction 101”, so the Bokke will have to borrow WP’s Doctor who’s in the UK anyway now… he’s used to extrating the WP props’ heads from their asses.
I mean by the time Verbrokkel Harris recently left WP, all that was left of all the head extractions was the permanent brown ring mark around his neck and the surprised look on his face… but the head was out.
This new Allister Vermaak prop, he won’t even get a brown mark around his neck, because his skin hue is dark enough to hide it properly… he might only permanently smell a bit due to PHIPS (Permanent Head In Poephol Sindrome).
Kitskos, the ginger Ninja’s last extraction had complications, that’s why he’s still injured.
@ grootblousmile:
Guys got so desperate at a stage, they wanted Brock there at the springboks instead of Jannie 😆
17 @ MacroBok:
Fark, at a stage we were really short on props in SA, so it’s understandable!
But damn man, the Golden Lions have 2 monster Tighthead props (Ruan Dreyer & Julian Redelinghuys) and a Loosehead prop who has laughed at all comers this season and last season… Schalk van der Merwe.
After a win over the All Blacks, the run-on team was always going to be unchanged. Barring injuries of course.
@ gunther:
A few years ago after a match, some poor old sod had the Heimlich maneuvor performed on him by Dr. Jannie after a chicken bone got wedged in his throat while watching from one of the suites.
Hope the good doctor washed his hands thoroughly beforehand.
True story.
Tighthead our biggest head ache at this stage, but surely Marcel and Malherbe cant stay injured forever, Julian must get a start at least (surely no logical person expected more from Meyer).
Reinach and Hougaard still has those drops in concentration, but Vermaak there gives me confidence in the back up options.
Heyneke is really throwing Pollard into the deep end here, would have preferred Lambie to start.
Alternatively, it would have been good to start Lambie at 15 as well.
But given the fact that our players will all be well rested, they should be hungry and fired up.
@ MacroBok: @17
Can’t you count the fly halves the Boks have already. 🙄
Julian must hopefully get a start at least get one game on tour*
22 @ IAAS:
Haha Meyer will always pick the biggest guy first apparently, So Brock would have had a semi lengthy career
grootblousmile wrote:
GBS,
Correct, the problem with Doodpo*s is not entry, it’s extraction. His generously sloped Neanderthal forehead makes for easy entry
Extraction though is difficult and complicated by his double chin
And to think that the 3-4-1 scrum was devised down in the Cape Colony early in the 20th Century & in time adopted by the rest of the rugby world … and that the Bokke taught the All Blacks &, more importantly, the Pumas how to scrum …
And now the Pumas’ scum is schooling that of the Bokke – eish!
grootblousmile wrote:
Leave Brock out of it
He’s the first of a new generation of rugby players, the All Rounders.
He’s the Shaun Pollock or Jacques Kallis of rugby
The correct term, coined by Gunther, is Prop-Half
Play in the backline on first receiver and come scrum time you take a break on prop
Even Coenie is training right now to by our next Prop-half, possibly our first Springbok Prop-half
Attachment:
@ IAAS:
Sounds like Thelo.
😆
@ Angostura:
The light five was also devised in the Cape Colony.
gunther wrote:
And soap on a rope 😈
Attachment:
@ Victoriabok:
Fark, I can’t get rid of Coenie, he’s like herpes
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