Confirmed: When the Springboks will name team to face Scotland
The Springboks touched down in Edinburgh on Sunday afternoon ready to switch into full-out Test mode after a brief break since the conclusion of the Rugby Championship.
It will be interesting to see whether Rassie Erasmus springs any selection surprises for this first end-of-year Test, although youngster Cameron Hanekom is actually the only uncapped player in the 35-man touring squad.
This is how we think the Springbok team could look for this Sunday’s Test, which kicks off at 18:10 (SA time).
Probable Springbok team: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Lukhanyo Am.
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Challenging matches ahead
The Springboks will play three Tests on their end-of-year tour to the United Kingdom.
Those fixtures are:
Sunday, 10 November vs Scotland at Murrayfield, Edinburgh – 18:10 (SA time)
Saturday, 16 November vs England, Allianz Stadium, London – 19:40 (SA time)
Saturday, 23 November vs Wales, Principality Stadium, Cardiff – 19:40 (SA time)
Looking ahead at the Outgoing Tour, assistant coach Mzwandile Stick expected a challenging series, but he said their focus at this stage was solely on the clash against Scotland.
“I think we’d be stupid to look too far ahead, so our main focus at the moment is on Scotland,” said Stick.
“If you look at the Six Nations competition earlier this year, Scotland put in some great performances. They won against England and Wales, and it was close until late in the game against Ireland, so they’re a tough team to beat.
“They’ll also have a good crowd behind them, and they have quality players, so if we allow them to perform, they can punish us.
“They’re in a good space as a team, and there’s consistency in their coaching staff, so it’s going to be a tough match.”
Updated squad for the Outgoing Tour:
Props: Thomas du Toit (Bath), Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls).
Hookers: Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks).
Locks: Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), RG Snyman (Leinster).
Loose forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls), Siya Kolisi (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks), Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).
Scrumhalves: Jaden Hendrikse (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks).
Flyhalves: Jordan Hendrikse (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers).
Centres: Lukhanyo Am (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles).
Outside backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls), Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls)