Cheslin Kolbe is out injured and replaced by Sbu Nkosi. Still a 6-2 split on the bench, so we can expect the same tactics as against Japan.
It is an open secret that the Welsh will rain the kicks on our back three, as we have looked very flaky under the high ball. We will need a much improved performance in that department, as well as cutting down on errors when we do create opportunities.
This is clearly a team that plans to take on the fleet-footed Japanese team using the powerful Bok pack to prevent them from getting their high speed attacking game going. Lood starts next to Etzebeth with Snyman and Mostert on the bench.
Due to the short turnaround between matches, Rassie has given pretty much all his dirt trackers an opportunity against Canada. The loose trio of Louw, Smith and Kolisi must count towards one of the lightest ever fielded by the Boks. The backline from the Namibia match has been rejigged with Willemse at 15 shifting Gelant to 14 and Nkosi to 11 (interesting in that Rassie has to date only used Nkosi at 14).
There is a lot of firepower on the bench although one should hope in this case the bomb squad will have to deal with a false alarm.
Rassie has kept the match-day squad from the warm up for the crunch game on Saturday. The winner of the first pool game for the Boks & All Blacks will very likely end top of the pool and have the easier game in the quarter finals.
The Sharks are keeping a bit of interest going during the off season by announcing their nine new player signings one day at a time. […]
Curwin Bosch is back from injury, which should mean that Boeta Chamberlain will be available for the Sharks U/21 team for the final against the Bulls
Andre Esterhuizen and Thomas du Toit have been called up to start against a desperate Bulls team who may face relegation if they loose by more than 7 points. Curwin Bosch is still unavailable so Boeta Chamberlain gets another chance after a very impressive Currie Cup debut.
New Shark Andisa Ntsila have been selected as loose forward replacement.
Sean Everitt has catapulted Boeta Chamberlain straight into the starting team to replace Curwin Bosch who is out injured due to a lower back sprain.
Schalk Brits will captain the Boks against the Pumas at Loftus. This is probably the last chance for some of these players to convince Rassie to take them with to Japan. I would expect Rassie to start his first choice team against Japan in the Boks’ only other World Cup warm-up match.
Sean Everitt has made a few changes in his squad for the crucial match against the Cheetahs at Kings Park:
Majola and Schoeman swaps places in the starting team and bench, Phepsi moves to 6, Vermeulen starts at 7 and Stringer drops out of the squad. Evan Roos (who still played for Paarl Boys last year) comes into the squad as loose forward replacement.
In the backline Nohamba and Wright swaps jerseys and so do Smith and Fassi.
Rassie has swapped front rows for the final Rugby Championship game. He has kept the rest of the squad the same as in the draw in New Zealand.
The match could decide the winner of the Rugby Championship – a bonus point win against the Pumas will definitely clinch it for the Boks. If the All Blacks cannot manage a bonus point against the Wallabies, a win will do it for the Boks.
The Cell C Sharks team to play the Phakisa Pumas in Nelspruit has been announced.
Coach Sean Everitt has opted to make only one rotational change with Phepsi Buthelezi starting at 7 and Jacques Vermeulen shifting to the bench. […]
Mapimpi, PSDT and Etzebeth remains into the starting team with the rest of the places reserved for the players that flew across earlier. Kwagga Smit will get a chance to prove that he can fit in at test level.
Great to see Frans Steyn on the bench again. In my opinion the Boks will stand zero change at the World Cup unless Steyn starts at inside centre.
With the Sharks confirming earlier this week that head coach Robert du Preez has decided to part ways with the union, finding a new head coach for Super Rugby in 2020 must surely be new CEO Eduard Coetzee’s most pressing priority. […]
Sean Everitt has kept the team that got trounced by the Kwas intact, except that Fassi and Smith swap places in the starting team and on the bench. Every one in the squad will have to lift their performance dramatically if the Sharks want any hope of beating a WP team that was really strong in especially the scrums. Hopefully the disaster last Friday will serve as a wake-up call.
