Schalk Burger was the only change to the Springbok team announced to take on Australia in Brisbane, Australia.
The team is as follows:
Springboks: Willie le Roux, J.P. Pietersen, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Bryan Habana, Handre Pollard, Ruan Pienaar; Schalk Burger, Marcell Coetzee, Francois Louw, Victor Matfield (captain), Eben Etzebeth, Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira.
Reserves: Adriaan Strauss, Heinke van der Merwe, Frans Malherbe, Lood de Jager, Oupa Mohoje, Cobus Reinach, Pat Lambie, Lwazi Mvovo.
Springboks Take on Wallabies In Brisbane
Burger replaces Warren Whiteley, in what Head Coach Heyneke Meyer describes as a purely rotational selection. This allows the Springboks to field three loose forwards who specialize in turnover ball and this could point to them looking at a counter-attacking game plan. The rest of the starting team remains unchanged and it is interesting to note that Meyer has continued to put his faith in young Jessie Kriel at outside center. Against the World 15, he produced a few moments of brilliance on attack and was strong on defense and he could prove to be the selection from left field for the Rugby World Cup that nobody was expecting.
The side will again be captained by veteran Victor Matfield. Jean de Villiers has been left behind in South Africa to play in Western Province’s Currie Cup warm-up games in order to get some game time and to regain confidence in his pace and the strength of his knee.
The bench shows more changes than the starting team, with two new props being given the opportunity to get some game time and loosehead Heinke van der Merwe and tighthead Frans Malherbe will look to prove their Rugby World Cup credentials. Meyer will be particularly pleased to see the return of Lood de Jager as lock cover after his long injury layoff and we should see him take to the field in the final twenty minutes to ease him back into action.
The Springboks do not have a good record at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and have only won there once in The Rugby Championship, a 38 to 12 victory in 2013, but they did have a good shakedown against the World 15, whereas the Wallabies chose not to play a season opener. I am therefore going with a South African win by a narrow margin, possibly as close as 5 points.
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