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)
MacroBok wrote:
Ek sien hulle sê hy sal in Oktober besluit
http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Super15/Bulls-prop-advised-to-retire-20140716
70 @ grootblousmile:
72 @ Victoriabok:
Well those who can appreciate Ruan Pienaar’s skills, can unashamedly admit am one, will miss him playing while those who don’t will miss having him to use as a scape goat for the times in the game when things don’t always go klopdisselboom
@ Bullscot:
He’s a good player, probably the best for a wet field in the NH
But we have changed our game plan and it doesn’t suit him
@ Bullscot:
Indeed.
I especially miss his kak kicks, his indecision as well as his glacial service.
Today’s economics lesson.
😆
Attachment:
125 @ gunther:
Nothing about SA Cpitalism which mentions State owned entities with crumbling infratructure; striking workers; unqualified executives; collection schemes that fail due to a 30% compliance, cattle kraals, fire pools full of milk etc etc etc.
Interesting place we live in.
125 @ gunther:
Excellent!
The New Zealand one is very farkin funny!
The South African one is missing.. it has to read something like this:
You have 2 cows, you have to give one away to pay lobola. The other one is soon stolen and later found to have been consumed at a massive party at Nkandla. You go on strike because all cows in the country is not distributed equally between the population. Your President dances and sings Mswini Wami at a rally about cow distribution, whilst Julius Malema makes a mockery of cow distribution in parliament and threatens that all cows will be nationalized for the benefit of the people.
Two companies tender to buy the lobola cow back, the white owned company does not get the tender despite offering by far the best price, whereas the BEE company acquires the cow, neglects it and it dies a horrible death, then the BEE company accuses the previous owner of selling a defective cow and demands a new cow.
15 Million illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries consume a large part of the cow population of the country.
A large part of the population who have cows left, de-horn the cows and mount the horns on blue hard hats and wear them to rugby matches.
what about:
“A large part of the population who have cows left, de-horn the cows, mount the cows and then mount the horns on blue hard hats and wear them to rugby matches”?
gedagte virri dag:
ñ grap is ñ grap maar jy plak nie ñ “Arrive Alive”-sticker op ñ lykswa nie!
sien sport24 het op die oomblik ñ storie daar met die opskrif “Meyer erken hy is dom” – of so iets!!
jislaaik nou gesels ek darem lekker met myself!
..
amper soos d ou wat nou die dag alleen skel-skel verby die winkel kom. sê hy: “daai jong is befok in sy kop wat soe alleen loep en gesels!! eks noggie soe bedonnerd nie!! #true-story!!
106 @ grootblousmile:
Commonly known as a “jakkals naai”.
132 @ Scrumdown:
Hehehe
Never heard that one before!
Meneer Jakkals, how is your Notebook now, since I did the complete overhaul and complete re-load? Did you come right to load AutoCad 2015 64-Bit as well as your printers and is all your data and mails there?
111 @ Victoriabok:
Die Uniegboue en “Lovers Lane” wassie dieselfde plek nie…
Om by “Lovers Lane” te kom moes mens doer af in Kerkstraat, Oostekant toe, tot net voor die Presidentswoning (dink dit was in Eastwood Straat) wat jy dan links gedraai het, op met die bult en oor die heuwel, verby die Presidentswoning gronde en af anderkant die heuwel… deur die dal, oor die groot straat en so paar blokke aan en dan weer op met die volgende heuwel, waar daar ‘n wonderlike uitkykspunt was om vandaan vryerig te raak.
Die Uniegeboue se perd het mens afgeskrik man, jy weet daai ene doer bo wat so met die een poot in die lug staan. Die storie was dat elke keer as ‘n jong dametjie haar onskuldigheid verloor daar by die Uniegeboue dan het daai perd sy poot so teen die grond gekap… en op Vrydagaande het hy glo nogal woes gallop!
Hehehehe
😆
133 @ grootblousmile:
If you catch a jackal in a trap, they have been known to gnaw through a leg to escape. Hence the term.
Machine seems fine.
Got the AutoCAD loaded ok but had to do some SERIAAAAS customisation to the menu files.
AutoCAD MEP is actually aimed at building designers with MEP standing for Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing, but once I applied my mind, (unlike Numba 1) I worked around the menus, pulled in the legacy files and set it up for the way I work.
Still a few things that annoy me with the new version, but in a month or two it’ll all seem normal.
Haven’t even though about printers etc. Too busy trying to get people off my back. Data is fine and one of these days I’ll check my mails.
@ Scrumdown:
Dial-a-nerd.
😆
137 @ gunther:
GBS is my “nerd”.
@ Scrumdown:
Dial-a-Groot.
😆
@ Scrumdown:
Speaking from Nerds where is Korporaal Nortier?
😆
@ Victoriabok:
Alcatraz was owned for a while by scrumhalf Jack “Platneus” Conradie, great character. Was selected for Springboks but broke his foot in barfight at Alcatraz night after announcement. Frik du Preez refused to have Jack in Bull’s team photo with him because he was ‘n “takhaar” .
140 @ gunther:
I’m truly touched that you miss me….. 😆
@ nortie:
Hi nortie how are you doing? Have you made your picks for the tests yet?
137 & 139 @ gunther:
138 @ Scrumdown:
Call me GrootBlouNerd
Best wrote:
Frik couldn’t really judge anyone, he was no angel
Attachment:
136 @ Scrumdown:
At least the Notebook’s brains is not so deurmekaar as it was… which is what we wanted to achieve anyway.
That thing had seriaaaas issues and seriaaas Sharks disease, jong!
grootblousmile wrote:
Smaak my daai perd het gehardloop asof hy in die Durban July is elke keer as hy GBS se rotary hoor aankom het 😈
Best wrote:
It was a rowwe plek, we drank Black Label to try to blend in but left before we got moerred
146 @ Victoriabok:
That was a perfectly legal tackle at the time… hehehe
Oh, how times have changed!
143 @ Bullscot:
Hi Bully…yes, I made my picks yesterday.
I’m ashamed to admit that I picked the Argentines over your beloved Scots…..so many kenners here punting the Pumas as a force has eventually swayed my dismissive opinion of them….hence I went with them for this weekend.
But, like the French, picking them could be like playing the lottery…..you hope for the best, but you don’t hold your breath.
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