TOULON – South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber has selected a Springbok team he believes can counter the expected physical challenge that Tonga will bring.
Nienaber has made 12 changes to his starting side to face Tonga in Stade de Marseille on Sunday 1 October
As expected fit-again fly-half Handre Pollard returns for his first game of Rugby World Cup 2023 in a completely overhauled backline.
Deon Fourie starts his first test at hooker with Duane Vermuelen starting at blindside flanker in a new loose trio with Jasper Wiese at 8 and captain Siya Kolisi wearing the number 6 jersey.
Scrumhalf Grant Williams will do duty on the right-wing with Makazole Mapimpi on the left and the experienced Willie le Roux in the last line of defence.
“If you look at the team selection, 13 of the players that played against Ireland are playing in this test match again, so that shows you how important this game is for us and with how much respect we are treating Tonga,” he said about the threat Tonga will pose.
“If you don’t give them respect it can become a slippery game.”
Nienaber said they are aware that Pollard might not be in the best shape after his lengthy injury lay-off.
“That’s why we went with a five-three split [on the bench]. If you look at Handre, he hasn’t played top-level club rugby since the first weekend in May.
”I think it’s about 19 weeks ago and in that 19 weeks, he’s only played 30 minutes of club rugby and that was in the Premiership Cup [for Leicester Tigers] the other night.
“There’s a good possibility that he probably would struggle to get through an intense game, a good probability that he might cramp up. “
“That’s why we went with a five-three split [on the bench]. If you look at Handre, he hasn’t played top-level club rugby since the first weekend in May. I think it’s about 19 weeks ago and in that 19 weeks, he’s only played 30 minutes of club rugby and that was in the Premiership Cup [for Leicester Tigers] the other night.
“There’s a good possibility that he probably would struggle to get through an intense game, a good probability that he might cramp up. That’s why we went with the five-three and have Manie [Libbok] on the bench just for cover.
He says however he expects a realistic performance from Pollard.
“I think that’s where we must all stay in the reality of it. He hasn’t played for the Boks in 13 months – he last played in the last week in August 2022 for the Springboks.
“He hasn’t played top-level rugby since the first week in May, which is 19 weeks ago. In saying that, he’s a quality rugby player and we all know that. He’s won a World Cup before, he’s won a British & Irish Lions series before.
“So he understands what international rugby and top international rugby is about, but I think we must stay real in that and give him time to settle in and get used to the pace of it.”
The Bok coach explained that 13 months that Pollard wasn’t available for the Springboks, there were 16 test matches and they won 75 per cent of those.
“We lost four, and of the four test matches we lost, two were against Ireland – who are the number one team in the world and everybody is struggling against them, they haven’t lost a test match since the one against New Zealand in Auckland.
“Then we lost to New Zealand in Auckland this year, and the other test match that we lost where those two guys were steering the Springboks and driving the team in the 10 jersey, was against France in Marseille where we got the red card. In three of those test matches it was very close, even this past one (against Ireland), up to the 78th minute there were two points in it.
“Yes, we are not consistent off the tee. But the guys that stepped in, I don’t think they did a bad job.”
The Bok mentor feels there are other areas of their game that are more concerning than their poor goal-kicking form.
“In the game against Ireland, we had four opportunities within one metre of their goal-line, which we butchered. Four. That, for me, is a much bigger issue that we have to sort out. You can’t get yourself within one metre of Ireland’s try line and then you butcher four.”
The Springbok team is:
1 Ox Nche
2 Deon Fourie
3 Vincent Koch
4 Eben Etzebeth
5 Marvin Orie
6 Siya Kolisi (c)
7 Duane Vermeulen
8 Jasper Wiese
9 Cobus Reinach
10 Handre Pollard
11 Makazole Mapimpi
12 Andre Esterhuizen
13 Canan Moodie
14 Grant Williams
15 Willie Le Roux
Replacements:
16 Marco van Staden
17 Steven Kitshoff
18 Trevor Nyakane
19 Franco Mostert
20 Kwagga Smith
21 Jaden Hendrikse
22 Manie Libbok
23 Jesse Kriel
- Handré Pollard will play his first match for South Africa since the 25-17 defeat by South Africa in Adelaide in August 2022, having missed their last 16 tests. He comes into the side at the expense of Manie Libbok, who drops to the bench.
- Pollard, 29, missed out on selection for the original RWC squad after picking up a calf injury in May but was called up as a replacement when hooker Malcolm Marx was injured.
- The fly-half, who kicked 22 points in the Rugby World Cup 2019 final win over England and is South Africa’s record RWC points scorer with 162, made a 30-minute comeback appearance for Leicester Tigers against Sale on 15 September.
- Dean Fourie, South Africa’s oldest test debutant last year against Wales just shy of his 36th birthday, makes his first test start at hooker. He lost his first throw of the tournament against Ireland but has an 89% success rate overall (8/9), as well as completing all 10 of his tackles. Replacement Marco van Staden, normally a back-row, will also play his first test at hooker.
- Pollard’s inclusion is one of 12 changes of personnel to the Springboks’ starting line-up after their defeat by Ireland, with second-row Eben Etzebeth, captain Siya Kolisi and number eight Jasper Wiese the only players to retain their spots in the pack, while the whole backline has changed.
- Duane Vermeulen, normally a number eight, starts at openside for the Springboks for the first time since November 2018 against France, and for only the third time in his 72-cap career. If South Africa beat Tonga, it will be the 50th win of his test career.
