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)
Victoriabok 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
Kitchoff is the heir apparent to Brocks Prop-Half throne 😀
gunther wrote:
😀
nope, not in the Cape Colony, but in the PW …
27 @ Victoriabok:
Eish, Verbrokkel is not even HALF a prop… and he was less than HALF a fist receiver in the backline as well… so let’s call him a PROP-LESS THAN HALF or a PROP-QUARTER.
@ grootblousmile:
Lets just settle on flyhalf?
Leave Brok alone.
Last time I checked he had a Currie Cup winners medal.
grootblousmile wrote:
Go Kiwi and call him a First Five Eighth Prop, and the Second Five Eighth Prop in the second half when he’s tired, out of breath and gets to the backline late
@ IAAS:
Pierre Spies has a few Super Rugby medals 😆
36 @ Victoriabok:
Yeahhhhhhhh!
First Verbrokkel Five Eighth Prop…
MacroBok wrote:
And now for something completely different
A real prop
I like it when he tells Spencer the bus is full
@ MacroBok:
haha
But not as a fly half 😆
IAAS wrote:
2 actually.
39 @ Victoriabok:
Always puts a huge smile on my face
@ IAAS:
haha he got them by doing nothing at all
MacroBok wrote:
Farkit Boet don’t get me started
I liked the tough eightmen the Bulls used to have like Pote Fourie, Adriaan Richter, Anton Leonard and even Pedrie
Then they got MR Chippendale
And then lo and behold he got injured and I thought “There’s no way the Bulls could replace the passenger with someone worse”
They picked Jono Ross 🙁
39 @ Victoriabok:
Hehehe,
Carlos Spencer was never the same after that game and that try!
Still is’nt… just look at the Kings!
MacroBok wrote:
He could scrum too, it’s a shame injuries cut short his career
What ever happened to Adriaan Fondse?
44 @ Victoriabok:
Yep, bring back Pierre!
grootblousmile wrote:
How about this one?
Victoriabok wrote:
And he had 3 currie cup medals
@ Stormersboy:
There we go. It’s easy to forget.
44 @ Victoriabok:
Jinne Janee… from a “Spies” to a fokken “stomp stok” in Jono Ross!
Genade daai ou is kak, ek wens skoon Spies is terug… Arno Botha will have to get over his injury double time, to come play at No 8 for the Bulls in 2015!
@ grootblousmile:
@45
Wrong.
Remember the hit Hendrik Gerber did on Spencer – when Blues v Stormers in Auckland?
Spencer was walking around in circles, talking to himself for the rest of the game. 😯
49 @ Victoriabok:
Hahahaha
Richard Bands was a monster… a silent assassin!
Bond se moer…
My name is Bands… Richard Bands! (In a 007 voice)
53 @ IAAS:
Hahahaha
MacroBok wrote:
Nooo, buy him a golden Speedo and let him start a strip club in Cape Town
Jono Ross could be his fluffer
We need a tough, hard eightman like Duane or Read at the Bulls
Preferably an ugly farker, no centrefold posing for womens magazines
And he should only be able to read the labels on his steroid bottles
No writing articles for Supersport or playing guitar like Dewald Skop-kantlyn-toe Potgieter
I wish Super Sport would do more effort in loading videos of past highlights on youtube, they can make a lot of money.
Even SABC
@ Victoriabok:
haha at this stage i am not going to start getting picky about replacing Ross.
58 @ MacroBok:
Fark, I would not be picky either, if Ross is replaced by an extra tackle bag, it would also be fine with me!
@ IAAS:
I have been searching to try and find the clip of Hendrik but unfortunately didn’t find it.
Carlos was furious when the Stormers called him Queen Carlos after Hendrik’s huge hit on him!!
I have to admit that the run by Richard Bands and hand-off on old Carlos was quite special too !!
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