Will this Bok team be able to live up to the hype after beating the All Blacks in an epic clash two weeks ago in Wellington, New Zealand?
Only time will tell and that time will be Saturday at 17h00 when they play the Wallabies in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth in the penultimate round of this year’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
Warren Whiteley sustained a groin injury earlier in the week, which has ruled him out of action for this Saturday. He is replaced in the starting team by Sikhumbuzo Notshe.
With injuries to the starting centre pair of Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am the centre pair for Saturday will be Andre Esterhuizen and Jesse Kriel (moving from wing to outside centre). With the shifting of Kriel to 13 it opens up a starting spot for Cheslin Kolbe.
Up front there’s a rotational change at loosehead prop with Tendai Mtawarira starting and Steven Kitshoff wearing the no 17 jersey.
The rest of the starting line-up is unchanged. There are however some tweaks to the replacement bench. Marco van Staden comes into the match-day squad to replace Francois Louw, and Embrose Papier is the back-up scrumhalf in place of Ross Cronje. Damian Willemse also returns to the bench in place of Kolbe that was “promoted” to the starting team.
The Springbok team to play Australia in Port Elizabeth:
15. Willie le Roux (Wasps, England)
14. Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse, France)
13. Jesse Kriel (Vodacom Bulls)
12. André Esterhuizen (Cell C Sharks)
11. Aphiwe Dyantyi (Emirates Lions)
10. Handré Pollard (Vodacom Bulls)
9. Faf de Klerk (Sale Sharks, England)
8. Sikhumbuzo Notshe (DHL Stormers)
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (DHL Stormers,)
6. Siya Kolisi (captain, DHL Stormers)
5. Franco Mostert (Emirates Lions)
4. Eben Etzebeth (DHL Stormers)
3. Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers,)
2. Malcolm Marx (Emirates Lions)
1. Tendai Mtawarira (Cell C Sharks)
Replacements:
16. Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers)
17. Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers)
18. Wilco Louw (DHL Stormers)
19. RG Snyman (Vodacom Bulls)
20. Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls)
21. Embrose Papier (Vodacom Bulls)
22. Elton Jantjies (Emirates Lions)
23. Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers)
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We are not going to realize how much work Whiteley gets through until he does not play.
Personally would rather have gone with Mapoe at 14 than Kolbe.
Boks to score 50+
Back three of Le Roux, Kolbe and Dyantji,hardly conjures up a picture of robust defence.
@The hound (Comment 3) : You didnt need the word robust
Why not Sbu instead of Kolbe?
@Julesgr8ter (Comment 5) : Sbu hasn’t played for province…….
Can’t wait for Nkosi to get back into the team. We’ve got some good wings and the team is starting to gel.
@jdolivier (Comment 6) : 😆 😆 😆
I dont understand why Sbu wasnt released to get some game time v Province
@jdolivier (Comment 6) : 😉
@Byron Wright (Comment 9) : Rob du Preez (snr) said in the press conference that he was informed too late that Sbu was available; he had already selected the team against WP
@Julesgr8ter (Comment 10) : Thats pretty bad planning on Rassies part or its Rob being stubborn.
Funny Nel was released in time to play but Sbu wasn’t mmmmmm
@The hound (Comment 3) : we said Kolbe is too small,but somehow no one mentions how NZ’s wing managed to just shove him away like we knew he would. So over this size doesn’t matter in rugby. Guess what,it does, ask speed bump Kolbe
@Julesgr8ter (Comment 10) : @Byron Wright (Comment 11) : @The hound (Comment 12) : may be it’s because Sbu has not played a lot with the Sharks lately and need more time than Nel to adjust to the (Currie Cup) team so RdP snr decided to rather give Fassi more experience and Zas a chance to show what he can do ahead of next years Super rugby season!?
Once again, i will say that its imperative Fassi plays 7’s rugby after the CC. This will take his game to a better level!
i digress a bit with a follow up question (from another thread) for King Cheetah: I’m a bit surprised that Cheetahs did not try and keep the squad together this season beacuse i feel they would have had a good chance to make it into the European cup and hence get overseas (euro) sponsors together with the ‘big’ (euro) money to lure other players? How many teams actually qualify for the european cup?
Ben10 looking amazing for the cheetahs at 13, we certainly missed an opportunity, again
@jdolivier (Comment 17) : as good as Ben10 is looking at 13 I would still not play him before Am or Ward so personally I’m glad that he’s doing good but he would have struggled to get decent game time at the Sharks at either 10 or 13.
@dawj (Comment 16) : I’m sure they tried to keep their squad together but playing (and doing good) in Europe made teams notice their players and the rest is history.
Unfortunately it will take time for the European money to kick in and allow them to secure their top players in big money contracts.
@JD (Comment 18) : I was referring to losing him not necessarily the position he is playing currently
@jdolivier (Comment 20) : And if they play him at 10 again he will have gained some valuable skills as a runner and line breaker which is always a bonus to have in a FH.
@coolfusion (Comment 21) : The scary thing is how many players seem to have become superrugby level after leaving the sharks. Wish we could just hang on to the talent and let them reach their potential in Durban
@Bokhoring (Comment 1) : Kolbe punches above his weight, but still offers more than Mapoe [email protected]The hound (Comment 3) : There is more to rugby than just defence. Kolbe stopped Ioane in his tracks, and offers so much x factor, all three do.
@jdolivier (Comment 6) : Or maybe he is just returning from injury? I am certainly no WP fan, but there is little wrong with the WP players in the mix., maybe Notshe.
@HeinF (Comment 13) : That is pretty selective! He was run over for a try, but he also stopped Ioane in his tracks and stopped a certain two tries.
@dawj (Comment 16) : End of a three year cycle. We can feasibly only qualify for EC in 2020, this young group will have been together for two years by then.
@JD (Comment 18) : JD he is playing fantastic rugby at 13, keep in mind he is only 21, and has only played a handful of matches there. He is a great talent. Ward a year older, but has always played centre. We will keep him though, he is going to get better and better!
@KingCheetah (Comment 24) : Nkosi should have been playing for this Sharks this weekend. Honestly no point in calling him up to the Boks this week and then releasing him too late for the Sharks to use.
@comment 26 (KingCheetah): How does contracts in rugby work? Every season we hear of players just leaving or being released from their contracts. Now if we compare this to soccer and the astronimcal transfer sums paid out, what exactly happens in rugby contracts? Sorry, i know you are not an agent but you seem to know a lot in these affairs!
@dawj (Comment 29) : I think the ‘buying’ team are only required to pay one year’s salary as a transfer fee of sorts. But not sure if it’s same everywhere or enforceable. Certainly an area rugby needs to get sorted.
@McLovin (Comment 30) : Also in rugby, players are more inclined to simply let their contract run out before switching. So no fee payable.
This ref gas worked blinkers on
@byron (Comment 32) : As always 😀
@dawj (Comment 29) : I don’t think it’s as strictly inforced in rugby. Just my opinion.
@KingCheetah (Comment 27) : Well whether at Cheetahs or at sharks if we can have a FH bred to be great because he is exposed to the things that could round off his deficiency our rugby will win. So I wish him success. At FH it always seemed he was not timing his passes right but in the new possie he could learn that and be more understanding how his midline needs to receive the ball can help loads.
Good to see an almost full stadium
Ozzie team looks really worked up. Going to be a cracker of a game
Boks score inside 30 seconds like the Sharks
7-0
Bok lineout a mess so far
Pocock killing us at the rucks
If Kolisi passed the ball to Willie we would have scored. Selfish play
Faf scores. 14-0
Boks really look like putting the aussies to the sword, hopefully it happens
Aussies manage to get a bit of rythm on attack. 14-5
Cheslin imitates a speedbump and the wallabies score
Crap box kick from Faf and Oz scores on the other side. Boks losing the plot a bit
@Bokhoring (Comment 47) : Haylett petty made kolbe his bitch to set up that try
@jdolivier (Comment 46) : He has actually manage a couple of crucial tackles so far. First big one that he misses
@Bokhoring (Comment 49) : Unfortunately that is the costly miss
Pocock lucky not to get a yellow. 🙄
@McLovin (Comment 51) : Garces doing well so far
Frog ref allows defending team to maul completely from the side
@jdolivier (Comment 52) : He is. 😉
@McLovin (Comment 54) : He’s had shockers in the past, tonight seems a lot more unbiased
@jdolivier (Comment 55) : Mr Bean of refs.
Pocock really flirts with not showing daylight
@jdolivier (Comment 46) : Build a bridge man, Kilbe has been good value.
@jdolivier (Comment 50) : I think you tend to focus on negatives too much! Pity, you are missing a good test. 👿
@KingCheetah (Comment 58) : Really, read the other positive comments. Did he miss a tackle, did they score? So it’s a statement not a negative.
The difference in confidence this team has after the all blacks win is phenomenal, really encouraging
Great defence from the Boks.
@McLovin (Comment 62) : Every single player putting their bodies on the line
If dyanti had caught that it would have been an interesting footrace
Now we have to be clinical
C’mon Los Pumas!
So happy with a win.
@McLovin (Comment 66) : Agree with you there
Boks get another much needed win. Not as good as the heroics against the All Blacks, but a win is a win
@Bokhoring (Comment 69) : That aussie backline was as dangerous as they come tonight and we got the win. Well done boys
Papier will soon take over the mantle from “Splinters” Shimange. If the coaches do not trust the guy to come on the field against the Wobblies and All Blacks, then rather let him get some much needed game time for the Bulls.
Watch S.P.Marais get a call up for Saturday,no W.P fullback in the team .
Bet he has his normal headless chicken game if he does.