Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber has confirmed that Cheslin Kolbe will start at fullback for their Castle Lager Outgoing Tour clash against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Kolbe is set to start in a back three which contains the likes of Kurt-Lee Arendse and Makazole Mapimpi, while Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende will link up to form the midfield.
Meanwhile, Damian Willemse will wear the No 10 jersey at halfback alongside scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse, while Jasper Wiese is in at No 8 and will line up in a loose trio with Pieter Steph-du Toit and Siya Kolisi.
In the front row are props Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe and hooker Malcolm Marx. In the engine room are Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager. There are six forwards and two backs on the bench.
Hooker Bongi Mbonambi, props Ox Nche and Vincent Koch, and utility forwards Franco Mostert, Kwagga Smith, and Deon Fourie will be on the bench as forward replacements. Scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and fullback Willie le Roux will be the two backs on the bench.
“We selected a team we believe contains the best combinations to counter the threats posed by Ireland,” said Nienaber.
“Damian (Willemse) has done well for us at flyhalf, and he is continuing to grow as a player in that role, while we think Cheslin has the potential to add a new dimension to our game at fullback.
“He was sidelined for a while after breaking his jaw against Wales, but he has played four 80-minute matches for Toulon since returning to play, and we are confident that he will step up to the challenge.”
Nienaber went on to say that Kolbe has been brought in to also provide cover at flyhalf: “Cheslin has delivered star performances for his clubs in France at flyhalf, so he will slot in as a back-up flyhalf if necessary, while Faf is another option for us at No 10 as well.
“Damian Willemse can also move to inside centre if we need cover there, while Damian de Allende can play outside centre and Willie fullback, and this allowed us for us to opt for a six-two split on the bench.”
The Springboks coach added that his side have to prepare for a tough battle against Ireland when they meet in Dublin.
“Ireland are the top ranked team in the world currently and they’ve shown in the past that they can be a force to reckoned with in Dublin,” said Nienaber.
“We last faced them on their home patch in 2017 and they beat us 38-3 in that match, and they also beat us here 29-15 in 2014 and they will draw confidence from that.
“Similarly, to us they will also view this as a vital clash with an eye on next year’s Rugby World Cup in France where we will cross paths in the pool stages.
“Obviously we are a long way out from the World Cup, but we have a limited number of matches left before the competition and the preparation doesn’t get better than playing a side we will face in the World Cup and the No 1 side in the world.
“This match is important for us for many reasons, one of which is to test our player combinations with the World Cup less than a year away.”
Springbok team to face Ireland in Dublin:
Cheslin Kolbe (Toulon), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Makazole Mapimpi (Cell C Sharks), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers), Jaden Hendrikse (Cell C Sharks),
Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Siya Kolisi (captain, Cell C Sharks), Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Eben Etzebeth (Cell C Sharks), Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers).
Replacements:
Bongi Mbonambi (Cell C Sharks), Ox Nche (Cell C Sharks), Vincent Koch (unattached), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), – Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz).
Photo by Shaun Roy/BackpagePix
