Rassie Erasmus has revealed his World Cup hand by naming what appears to be his first group to the Springboks’ final World Cup warm-up contrary to Japan.
The team shows one change from the starting XV that brought in Wellington a result that paved the way for the first Rugby Championship title in last couple of years of South Africa, in July.
The Springboks carry on their old rivals in Yokohama in their tournament opener on September 21, along with the unwanted Erasmus called for Friday’s warm-up appears likely to be one to select the area in two weeks’ time since the Boks go in hunt of a third World Cup title.
The solitary shift to this Wellington team sees skipper Siya Kolisi favored to Kwagga Smith at openside flank. Last month kolisi was injured for South Africa’s Rugby Championship effort but made his return in their World Cup warm-up from Argentina in Pretoria.
Kolisi is joined in the spine by Duane Vermeulen. Du Toit’s first launch in the Green and Gold came against Japan from the 2015 World Cup, if the Springboks endured the biggest shock in the tournament’s history at a 34-32 loss in Brighton.
While Erasmus may be committing his group a run-out till they take on the All Blacks, Erasmus stated the side also signifies how dire the Boks are to prevent another defeat.
“it is my hope that this selection will send a powerful message that we’ve got the utmost regard for Japan,” said Erasmus.
“Maybe we made the mistake of complacency against them in the past but we’ve been hammering the message that we shouldn’t ever do that against Japan.
“They’re a intelligent group of great athletes, playing in the home, having won a title in the past month and now desperate to demonstrate something. This Evaluation is just too big a challenge as any we have had this year.
“They even made a film about the last time they played us it’s our job to make certain there’s no sequel.”
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 1 Steven Kitshoff, two Malcolm Marx, 3 Frans Malherbe, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Franco Mostert, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8 Duane Vermeulen.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 RG Snyman 21 Herschel Jantjies 23 Jesse Kriel.
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