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Kolisi back to lead as Rassie sticks with Wellington formula

rugby03 September 2019 04:38| © Cycle Lab
By:JJ Harmse
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Siya Kolisi © Gallo Images

Siya Kolisi is back on the side of the scrum as captain in the Springbok team that will face Japan in a final warm-up game ahead of the Rugby World Cup in Kumagaya on Friday.

This will be the first time that Kolisi starts as captain this year after he made his return to rugby after an injury lay-off as a rank-and-file player in the recent clash with Argentina at Loftus. Kolisi is just one of two survivors in the match 23 from that squad, the other being centre Jesse Kriel, who moves to the bench. No 8 Duane Vermeulen and Eben Etzebeth captained the team in the Rugby Championship and Schalk Brits led them in the clash with Argentina.

As anticipated, coach Rassie Erasmus has opted to go full strength for this game, which means that 22 of the players who were part of the draw with the All Blacks in Wellington in a Rugby Championship match a month and a half ago are back. And with the exception of Kolisi’s return for Kwagga Smith, it is the same starting team that played in that game.

The selection has been made with a two-fold reason - the first priority is to give the first choice team for the opening World Cup game against New Zealand two and a bit weeks hence a chance to fine-tune, and the other is the respect that the Boks have for Japan after what happened to them at the hands of these opponents under a different coach at the 2015 World Cup in England.

“I hope this selection will send a strong message that we have the utmost respect for Japan,” said Erasmus.

“Perhaps we made the mistake of complacency against them in the past but we’ve been hammering the message all week that we should never do that again against Japan.

“They’re a smart team of great athletes, playing at home, having won a title won in the past month and now desperate to prove something. This test is as big a challenge as any we’ve had this season.”

Japan beat Fiji, the USA and Tonga to claim the Pacific Rugby Championship recently and have been in camp lying in wait for the Springboks, said Erasmus.

The Japanese have a 100 percent record against South Africa, having famously won the only meeting between the teams, 34-32, at Brighton in England during the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

The current Springbok squad has nine survivors of that match-day 23 – Kriel, Handré Pollard, Du Toit, Kolisi, Francois Louw, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Tendai Mtawarira and Trevor Nyakane – and Erasmus said the 2019 squad had discussed that match. Only De Jager will not re-appear on Friday.

“That kind of result can easily happen again if we don’t learn from the past,” he said.

“Our players who were there have held up their hand and said they totally under-estimated Japan. If our mindset isn’t right and we’re looking beyond this game then we’ll play right into Japan’s hands.

“This is a Springbok test match against a team ranked in the world’s top 10 (they’re ninth), in their own backyard, and we’ve got to be full-on if we want to win – anything less and we’ll be in trouble.”

The return to full strength means there are 18 changes to the match day 23 that was on duty last time out against Argentina in Pretoria.

This is in essence the third time that this particular team will appear together this season, for the same group that drew 16-all with the All Blacks clinched the Rugby Championship title by beating Argentina 46-13 in Salta a week later. There are, however, some interesting differences to the starting team from that match, with the front-row that did duty in the starting team against the All Blacks - Frans Malhberbe, Malcolm Marx and Steven Kitshoff - returning to the starting unit. It had been speculated that Bongi Mbonambi, Mtawarira and Nyakane would start again.

What is also interesting is that Frans Steyn appears to have established himself as the back-up flyhalf/inside centre ahead of Elton Jantjies. This is the fifth consecutive time this season that Steyn, who has experience of winning a World Cup (2007), will be playing off the bench. He’s yet to get a proper run at pivot so maybe that will happen in this game as there is a good argument for protecting the ace first choice No 10 Handre Pollard.

As anticipated, Erasmus has opted to stick with Cheslin Kolbe and Makazole Mapimpi on the wings in the face of a strong challenge from Sbu Nkosi, who was the start of the 26-24 win over the Pumas in the last game. Kriel will provide the wing back-up as well as outside centre. He came on quite early in the game at centre in Wellington.

The Springbok team to face Japan in Kumagaya:

15. Willie le Roux (Wasps, England), 55 caps - 60 points (12 tries)

14. Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse, France), 9 - 15 (3t)

13. Lukhanyo Am (Cell C Sharks), 8 - 5 (1t)

12. Damian de Allende (DHL Stormers), 39 - 20 (4t)

11. Makazole Mapimpi (Cell C Sharks), 7 - 25 (5t)

10. Handré Pollard (Vodacom Bulls), 41 - 381 (6t, 63c, 72p, 3d)

9. Faf de Klerk (Sale Sharks, England), 24 - 15 (3t)

8. Duane Vermeulen (Vodacom Bulls), 48 - 15 (3t)

7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (DHL Stormers), 49 - 20 (4t)

6. Siya Kolisi (captain, DHL Stormers), 42 – 25 (5t)

5. Franco Mostert (Gloucester, England), 31 - 5 (1t)

4. Eben Etzebeth (DHL Stormers), 78 - 15 (3t)

3. Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers), 31 - 0

2. Malcolm Marx (Emirates Lions), 26 - 20 (4t)

1. Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers), 39 - 5 (1t)

Replacements:

16. Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers), 29 - 20 (4t)

17. Tendai Mtawarira (Cell C Sharks), 110 - 10 (2t)

18. Trevor Nyakane (Vodacom Bulls), 40 - 5 (1t)

19. RG Snyman (Vodacom Bulls), 15 - 0

20. Francois Louw (Bath, England), 68 - 45 (9t)

21. Herschel Jantjies (DHL Stormers), 3 - 15 (3t)

22. Frans Steyn (Montpellier, France), 60 - 132 (10t, 5c, 21p, 3d)

23. Jesse Kriel (Vodacom Bulls), 44 - 60 (12t)

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