Rassie Erasmus has revealed his World Cup hand by clarifying exactly what appears to be his first first-choice team for the Springboks’ World Cup warm-up against Japan.
The team shows one change from the starting XV that brought in Wellington in July, an outcome that paved the way for the initial Rugby Championship title in last couple of years of South Africa.
The Springboks take on their older rivals in Yokohama in their tournament opener on September 21, and the side Erasmus named for Friday’s warm-up looks likely to be one to select the area in two weeks’ time since the Boks proceed in search of another World Cup title.
The shift to that Wellington team sees skipper Siya Kolisi preferred to Kwagga Smith in flank. Last month kolisi was hurt for South Africa’s Rugby Championship effort but forced his own return in their World Cup warm-up against Argentina in Pretoria.
Kolisi is combined at the spine by Duane Vermeulen and Pieter-Steph du Toit, making his 50th Test appearance. Du Toit’s first start at the Green and Gold came from Japan from the 2015 World Cup, when the Springboks suffered the biggest shock in the championship’s history in a 34-32 reduction in Brighton.
Erasmus explained the side also represents how dire the Boks are to prevent another embarrassing defeat while Erasmus may be giving his group a run-out before they take on the All Blacks.
“it is my hope that this selection will send a powerful message that we have the utmost respect for Japan,” said Erasmus.
“Maybe we made the error of complacency against them previously but we’ve been beating the message all week that we should never do this against Japan.
“They are a intelligent group of great athletes, playing in the home, having won a title in the past month and desperate to demonstrate something. This Test is as big a challenge as any we have had this season.
“They even made a film about the last time they played us it’s our job to make sure that 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, 2 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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