Warren Whiteley and Ruan Combrinck will make their first starts for the Springboks in Saturday’s series decider against Ireland in Port Elizabeth.
Bok coach Allister Coetzee made just two changes to his starting line-up on Thursday, and resisted the temptation to bring on those Lions stars en masse who made such a big difference in the second half of last weekend’s dramatic 32-26 victory at Ellis Park.
That means tighthead prop Julian Redelinghuys in particular has to wait for a chance to wear the Bok No 3 jersey for the first time, with Coetzee remaining loyal to his old Stormers man Frans Malherbe, who has given away a number of penalties and has also come under pressure at scrum-time over the last fortnight.
But two Lions stalwarts in Whiteley and Combrinck were rewarded for their superb second-half performances in Johannesburg, although Duane Vermeulen’s injury-enforced absence opened the door for Whiteley to come in at No 8.
Combrinck comes in for Lwazi Mvovo, who could count himself unlucky to be banished to the bench. While he battled under the high ball at Ellis Park, the Sharks flyer was one of the few Boks to enhance his reputation in the first Test defeat at Newlands as he dealt well with the ball in the air and showed good pace with ball-in-hand.
But Coetzee said on Thursday that it was Combrinck’s big right boot that won him selection as an alternative to the three left-footed kickers in the team in Faf de Klerk, Elton Jantjies and Willie le Roux.
Another Lion in Jaco Kriel finally gets an opportunity after impressing in Super Rugby over the last few years, and he will be the loose-forward back-up on the bench. Prop Steven Kitshoff could also make his Test debut as a replacement as he covers for the injured Trevor Nyakane.
“Both sides have suffered injuries before and during the series, but that it is part of the game and it again provides opportunities for others to come in and stake their claim,” Coetzee said in a statement.
“Jaco has been close to selection every time, and he now gets his chance in the match-day squad. Steven has worked extremely hard since we got together as a team and he also has an opportunity to show his promise should he take to the field.
“We know what is at stake on Saturday – it’s a matter of winner-takes-all scenario. This group of players will continue to grow together as a team and Saturday they have the opportunity to gain more experience by playing together.”
The referee for Saturday’s Test will be Glen Jackson of New Zealand.
Springbok Team
15 Willie le Roux, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Bench: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff 18 Julian Redelinghuys, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Jaco Kriel, 21 Rudy Paige, 22 Morné Steyn 23 Lwazi Mvovo.
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