SOUTH AFRICA v ARGENTINA: World Cup, Bronze

30.10.2015

Image thanks to ibtimes.co.uk

Venue: Olympic Park, London

Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)

Preview
This is a bronze medal match. It is not anywhere near the importance of the Final to be played Saturday. But try telling the 2007 Argentina side this match has no meaning. That win put Argentina well and truly in with the big boys of test rugby. We see them in 2015 in exactly the same position with perhaps an even better team.

South Africa has everything to lose and very little to gain. Their reputation has taken a beating in 2015. They came last in the shortened Rugby Championship which included a home loss to Argentina and the rugby world will never forget Japan’s astounding win over South Africa in their first pool match.

South African’s and New Zealander’s have a common attitude towards losing a rugby test match. Don’t do it! Losing is never an option and another loss by South Africa will create a dark cloud of that vast land and the coach can say goodbye.It would also place a minus against Victor Matfield’s illustrious test rugby career in this his last test match.

Argentina has problems. Four key players are out. They have depth in their team but losing captain Creevy is a vital blow from which I fear Argentina will not recover. It is a shame but I feel South Africa now has the favourite tag. Argentina though will go down fighting. If their explosive backs get a sniff of an upper hand it could well be even closer than the 13 point win to South Africa I have predicted. Still, Argentina will be even stronger in 2019 and they could well be in that final.

Last Five Encounters
15.08.2015 South Africa 26-12 in Buenos Aires ( RWC Warm up Friendly)
08.08.2015 Argentina 37-25 in Durban (Rugby Championship)

World Cup Encounters
14.10.2007 South Africa 37-13 in Paris (Semi-Final)

South Africa Last Five P 5, W 4, L 1
24.10.2015 v New Zealand L 18-20 at Twickenham (World Cup, Semi-Final)
17.10.2015 v Wales W 23-19 at Twickenham (World Cup, Quarter Final)
07.10.2015 v United States W 64-0 in London (World Cup, Pool B)
03.10.2015 v Scotland W 34-16 in Newcastle (World Cup, Pool B)
26.09.2015 v Samoa W 46-6 in Birmingham (World Cup, Pool B)

Argentina Last Five P 5, W 4, L 1
25.10.2015 v Australia L 15-29 at Twickenham (World Cup, Semi-Final)
18.10.2015 v Ireland W 43-20 in Cardiff (World Cup, Quarter Final)
11.10.2015 v Namibia W 64-19 in Leicester (World Cup, Pool C)
04.10.2015 v Tonga W 45-16 in Leicester (World Cup, Pool C)
25.09.2015 v Georgia W 54-9 in Gloucester (World Cup, Pool C)

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table: South Africa 3rd, Argentina 6th

World Rugby Ranking Points
South Africa 86.02, Argentina 84.24

Prediction: South Africa too strong, by 13 points. Score 30-17

TEAMS

Argentina
15 Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Matias Moroni,
12 Jeronimo De La Fuente, 11 Horacio Agulla, 10 Nicolás Sánchez (Capt),
9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 7 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 6 Javier Ortega Desio, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Juan Figallo.
Replacements
16 Lucas Noguera, 17 Juan Pablo Orlandi, 18 Santiago Garcia Botta, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Facundo Isa, 21 Martin Landajo, 22 Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, 23 Juan Pablo Socino.
Head Coach: Daniel Hourcade

South Africa
15 William le Roux, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende,
11 Bryan Habana, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen,
7 Schalk Burger, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Victor Matfield (Capt.), 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements
16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Jannie du Plessis, 19 Lodewyk de Jager, 20 Willem Alberts, 21 Rudy Paige, 22 Patrick Lambie, 23 Jan Serfontein.
Head Coach: Heyneke Meyer

RUGBY WORLD CUP SEMI-FINAL 1

24.10.2015
New Zealand 20, South Africa 18 at Twickenham (World Cup, Semi-final 1)

NEW ZEALAND ARE IN!

The first finalist for the 2015 Rugby World Cup final has been decided when New Zealand edged past South Africa 20-18 at Twickenham.

It was an enthralling game from beginning to end. New Zealand scored two tries to none and never looked in complete danger although South Africa certainly had there moments.

This games was always going to be brutal and it was. South Africa’s huge pack was matched by the New Zealanders. The difference was in the Kiwi’s defence and their speed around the field.

New Zealand will play either Australia or Argentina in the final at Twickenham next Saturday

SOUTH AFRICA v NEW ZEALAND: Rugby World Cup Semi-Final 1

24.10.2015

THIS IS THE FIRST OF THE BIG ONES THIS WEEKEND

Venue: Twickenham

Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)

Preview
This has been a game long coming. The chances of these two giants of world rugby clashing has always been a possibility once the draw was known. Today they clash in the knockout semi-final played at Twickenham.

South Africa is always a tough, feared and much respected opponent. The rivalry with New Zealand goes back to 1921 and apart from the apathied years, has continued with the same intensity.

New Zealand and South Africa have always been tough sides. No quarter is given and the forward battle is often brutal. But are the teams on equal terms.

South Africa began this tournament with a shock loss to japan. They have recovered and are beginning to play like they usually do-tough and hard physically. They have a young backline with some exciting new players. Their pack is experienced. But their play is predictable with a heavy reliance on their pack.

New Zealand has progressed quietly through their pool matches without displaying what they can really do. That came during the quarter final match against France in which they played almost the perfect game and won 62-13. Amazing.

New Zealand will win but South Africa will push them close in what will be a bruising encounter.

Last Five Encounters
25.07.2015 New Zealand 27-20 in Johannesburg (Rugby Championship)
04.10.2014 South Africa 27-25 in Johannesburg (Rugby Championship)
13.09.2014 New Zealand 14-10 in Wellington (Rugby Championship)
05.10.2013 New Zealand 38-27 in Johannesburg (Rugby Championship)
14.09.2013 New Zealand 29-15 in Auckland (Rugby Championship)

New Zealand has dominated South Africa in recent history although in the last two years the results have been very close.

South Africa Last Five P 5, W 4, L 1
17.10.2015 v Wales W 23-19 at Twickenham (World Cup, Quarter Final)
07.10.2015 v United States W 64-0 in London (World Cup, Pool B)
03.10.2015 v Scotland W 34-16 in Newcastle (World Cup, Pool B)
26.09.2015 v Samoa W 46-6 in Birmingham (World Cup, Pool B)
19.09.2015 v Japan L 32-34 in Brighton (World Cup, Pool B)

New Zealand Last Five P 5, W 5
17.09.2015 v France W 62-13 in Cardiff (World Cup, Quarter Final)
09.10.2015 v Tonga W 47-9 in Newcastle (World Cup, Pool C)
02.10.2015 v Georgia W 43-10 in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool C)
24.09.2015 v Namibia W 58-14 in London (World Cup, Pool C)
20.09.2015 v Argentina W 26-16 in London (World Cup, Pool C)

World Cup Encounters
08.11.2003 New Zealand 29-9 in Melbourne (Quarter Final)
04.11.1999 South Africa 22-18 in Cardiff (Playoff 3rd-4th)
24.06.1995 South Africa 15-12 in Johannesburg (Final)

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table: South Africa 2nd, New Zealand 7th

World Rugby Ranking Points
New Zealand 92.89, South Africa 86.80

Prediction: New Zealand by 3 points. Score 21-18

TEAMS

South Africa
15 Willie le Roux, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende,
11 Bryan Habana, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Fourie du Preez (Capt.), 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements
16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Jannie du Plessis, 19 Victor Matfield, 20 Willem Alberts, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Patrick Lambie, 23 Jan Serfontein.
Head Coach: Heyneke Meyer

New Zealand
15 Benjamin Smith, 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (Capt.), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick,
3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Joseph Moody. 
Replacements
16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Benjamin Franks, 18 Charles Faumuina, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Samuel Cane, 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Sonny Bill Williams.
Head Coach: Steve Hansen

WORLD CUP SEMI FINALS

17.10.2015
South Africa 23, Wales 19 at Twickenham (World Cup, Quarter Final 1)
New Zealand 62, France 13 in Cardiff (World Cup, Quarter Final 2)

Briefly
South Africa scored a brilliant try just before the end of the game to end Wales’ hopes of progressing towards the semi-finals. In a fast and ferocious game the result could have gone either way

AMAZING

That has to be said about the way the All Blacks totally dismantled a dispirited and outclassed French side. The result almost certainly ended the coaching career of Philipe Saint-Andre. This performance has certainly placed the All Blacks back in the favourite position to progress further when they take on South Africa next weekend.

RUGBY WORLD CUP: South Africa v Wales Quarter-final 1

17.10.2015

Venue: Twickenham

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

Preview
The first of the World Cup semi-finals is a huge game for both teams. South Africa started the tournament with a disastrous loss to Japan whilst Wales has reeled from one major injury crises to another. Despite this both teams have made strong efforts to reach this stage and deserve to be here.

Wales became the first nail in the English rugby coffin for 2015. Their stunning comeback in the second half showed this is a team with real character.

South Africa were in disgrace back home after their loss to Japan. An unthinkable result for the die-hard Springbok supporters of a proud rugby nation. They have pulled their game together and played some powerful expansive rugby to defeat Scotland and Samoa in pool play.

This is going to a bruising encounter. Both teams have a very physical approach to the game. I’m going for Wales because they will match the South Africa physical game but have a very young and enterprising backline. They will also have the vast majority of the Twickenham crowd behind them-a sea of red.

Last Five Encounters
29.11.2014 Wales 12-6 in Cardiff
21.06.2014 South Africa 31-30 in Nelspruit
14.06.2014 South Africa 38-16 in Durban
09.11.2013 South Africa 24-15 in Cardiff
11.09.2011 South Africa 17-16 in Wellington (World Cup, Pool D)

Previous World Cups
11.09.2011 South Africa 17-16 in Wellington (Pool D)

South Africa Last Five P 5, W 3, L 2
07.10.2015 v United States W 64-0 in London (World Cup, Pool B)
03.10.2015 v Scotland W 34-16 in Newcastle (World Cup, Pool B)
26.09.2015 v Samoa W 46-6 in Birmingham (World Cup, Pool B)
19.09.2015 v Japan L 32-34 in Brighton (World Cup, Pool B)
08.08.2015 v Argentina L 25-37 in Durban (Rugby Championship)

Wales Last Five P 5, W 4, L 1
10.10.2015 v Australia L 6-15 at Twickenham (World Cup, Pool A)
01.10.2015 v Wales W 23-13 in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool A)
26.09.2015 v England W 28-25 at Twickenham (World Cup, Pool A)
20.09.2015 v Uruguay W 54-9 in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool A)
05.09.2015 v Italy W 23-19 in Cardiff (World Cup Warm Up)

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table: Wales 2nd, South Africa 7th

World Rugby Ranking Points
Wales 85.71, South Africa 84.58

Prediction: Wales by 2 points. Score 24-22

TEAMS

South Africa
15 William le Roux, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende,
11 Bryan Habana, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Fourie du Preez (Capt.), 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements
16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Jannie du Plessis, 19 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20 Willem Alberts, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Patrick Lambie, 23 Jan Serfontein.
Head Coach: Heyneke Meyer

Wales
15 Gareth Anscombe, 14 Alexander Cuthbert, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 James Roberts, 11 George North, 10 Daniel Biggar, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Samuel Warburton (Capt.), 6 Daniel Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones,
4 Luke Charteris, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements
16 Kenneth Owens, 17 Paul James, 18 Thomas Francis, 19 Bradley Davies,
20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 James Hook
Head Coach: Warren Gatland

RUGBY WORLD CUP

I am at a antique fair in Latrobe, Tasmania this weekend. I’m not sure how much time I will have to cover these games.

17.10.2015
South Africa v Wales at Twickenham (World Cup, Quarter Final 1)
New Zealand v France in Cardiff (World Cup, Quarter Final 2)

Here are my predictions
Wales by 2 over South Africa. Score 24-22
New Zealand by 19 over France. Score 33-14

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Quarter Finalists Confirmed

17.10.2015
South Africa v Wales at Twickenham (World Cup, Quarter Final 1)
New Zealand v France in Cardiff (World Cup, Quarter Final 2)

18.10.2015
Ireland v Argentina in Cardiff (World Cup, Quarter Final 3)
Australia v Scotland at Twickenham (World Cup, Quarter Final 4)

Briefly
Here they are. Now we are down to the real business end of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The eight quarter finalists are listed above.

RUGBY WORLD CUP: POOL B

03.10.2015
Japan 26, Samoa 5 in Milton Keynes (World Cup, Pool B)
South Africa 34, Scotland 16 in Newcastle (World Cup, Pool B)

	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	DIFF	TF	TA	BP	PT
SOUTH AFRICA	3	2	0	1	112	56	56	13	4	3	11
SCOTLAND	3	2	0	1	100	60	40	10	2	2	10
JAPAN	3	2	0	1	70	82	-12	5	5	0	8
SAMOA	3	1	0	2	36	88	-52	2	8	0	4
UNITED STATES	2	0	0	2	32	64	-32	2	2	0	0

Briefly
Japan were comfortable winners over Samoa but made their push towards a quarter final spot difficult with some strange decisions late in the game. Penalty shots were taken instead of working towards a bonus point. Those decisions may come back to haunt them.

South Africa were made to work hard by a determined Scotland in Newcastle. South Africa missed a fourth try.

Coming Up

07.10.2015	SOUTH AFRICA		UNITED STATES		LONDON
10.10.2015	SAMOA		SCOTLAND		NEWCASTLE
11.10.2015	UNITED STATES		JAPAN		GLOUCESTER

SCOTLAND v SOUTH AFRICA: World Cup, Pool B

03.10.2015

Venue: St James' Park, Newcastle

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	DIFF	TF	TA	BP	PT
SCOTLAND	2	2	0	0	84	26	58	10	2	2	10
SOUTH AFRICA	2	1	0	1	78	40	38	10	3	3	7
SAMOA	2	1	0	1	31	62	-31	2	8	0	4
JAPAN	2	1	0	1	44	77	-33	3	4	0	4
UNITED STATES	2	0	0	2	32	64	-32	2	2	0	0

Preview
If you’d have thought that the Rugby World Cup is yet to light up then you must have really enjoyed that holiday on Mars. What excitement and what good rugby we have been blessed to view. Having been at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand I can feel the excitement and growing tension coming from England and Wales.

South Africa were a vastly improved side when they defeated Samoa after dropping the game against Japan. In fact I was very impressed with their play; adventurous, fast and powerful. ‘This side could well be the sleeping giant’ I thought to myself. Tonight we will see how close my thoughts are to reality. Without captain Jean de Villiers (broken Jaw and now retired) and veteran Victor Matfield, whose lineout presence is unmatched, the Springbok could well struggle to match that last performance.

Scotland is on top of their pool with a maximum ten points and they deserve to be there. They have played a strong second half game and will be looking to knock the South Africans out of first place contention. They will be without their new pivot Finn Russell who has the ability to set a game alight.If Japan can do it why not Scotland?

Last Five Encounters: South Africa 4, Scotland 1
28.06.2014 South Africa 55-6 in Port Elizabeth
17.11.2013 South Africa 28-0 at Murrayfield
16.06.2013 South Africa 30-17 in Nelspruit (Quadrangular Tournament)
17.11.2012 South Africa 21-10 at Murrayfield
20.11.2010 Scotland 21-17 at Murrayfield

Scotland Last Five P 5, W 4, L 1
27.09.2015 v United States W 39-16 in Leeds (World Cup, Pool B)
23.09.2015 v Japan W 45-10 in Gloucester (World Cup, Pool B)
05.09.2015 v France L 15-19 in Paris (World Cup Warm Up)
29.08.2015 v Italy W 48-7 at Murrayfield (World Cup Warm Up)
22.08.2015 v Italy W 16-12 in Turin (World Cup Warm Up)

Scotland’s record over the last five matches is very good. They pushed France in Paris pre World Cup and thrashed Italy at Murrayfield in another warm up game. A win over South Africa would not be unique. Scotland upset South Africa at Murrayfield back in 2010. It could well happen.

South Africa Last Five P 5, W 1, L 4
26.09.2015 v Samoa W 46-6 in Birmingham (World Cup, Pool B)
19.09.2015 v Japan L 32-34 in Brighton (World Cup, Pool B)
08.08.2015 v Argentina L 25-37 in Durban (Rugby Championship)
25.09.2015 v New Zealand L 20-27 in Johannesburg (Rugby Championship)
18.09.2015 v Australia L 20-24 in Brisbane (Rugby Championship)

What a dreadful year. Prior to losing to Japan South Africa went through the shortened Rugby Championship without a win including a loss to Argentina at home. The game against Samoa apart It’s not looking good.

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table: Scotland 7th, South Africa 9th

World Rugby Ranking Points
South Africa 82.66, Scotland 79.05

Prediction: Scotland to defeat a limping Springbox by 4 points and cause Heineke Meyer to finally ‘pop’. Score 21-17

TEAMS

South Africa
15 William le Roux, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende,
11 Bryan Habana, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Fourie du Preez (Capt.), 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira  
Replacements
16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20 Willem Alberts, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Patrick Lambie, 23 Jan Serfontein 
Head Coach: Heineke Meyer

Scotland
15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Thomas Seymour, 13 Richard Vernon, 12 Peter Horne,
11 Timothy Visser, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Greig Laidlaw (Capt.), 8 David Denton,
7 Blair Cowan, 6 Joshua Strauss, 5 Jonathon Gray, 4 Richard Gray, 3 WP Nel, 2 Fraser Brown, 1 Gordon Reid.
Replacements
16 Ross Ford, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Jon Welsh, 19 Timothy Swinson,
20 Ryan Wilson, 21 Samuel Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Peter Horne, 23 Sean Lamont
Head Coach: Vern Cotter

All stats from www.rugbyinternational.net

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Saturday 27 September

26.09.2015
Wales 28, England 25 at Twickenham (World Cup, Pool A)
South Africa 46, Samoa 6 in Birmingham (World Cup, Pool B)
Italy 23, Canada 18 in Leeds (World Cup, Pool D)

Briefly
After being behind in just about every aspect of the games Wales stormed home in the last quarter of the match to snatch a 28-25 win over England in their pool match. The Twickenham crowd was noisy and full of song for most of the match as England looked to have the game well under control when leading 21-12 with 30 minutes remaining. Wales’ comeback was remarkable but came with costly injuries.

England now have to win against Australia on the 3rd October to hold second place in the pool or become the first Rugby World Cup host to miss the quarter finals. Desperate stuff.

South Africa blew away the memory of the loss to Japan with an emphatic 46-6 victory over a brave but outclassed Samoan side. The Samoans were not match for a South African side that were determined to stamp their mark on this tournament. Sadly South African captain Jean de Villiers has been ruled out of the tournament with a broken jaw.

Italy had to struggle past a gallant Canadian side that came close to scoring the second major upset of the tournament.

SOUTH AFRICA v SAMOA: World Cup Pool B

26.09.2015

Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) 

	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	DIFF	TF	TA	BP	PT
SCOTLAND	1	1	0	0	45	10	35	5	1	1	5
SAMOA	1	1	0	0	25	16	9	2	2	0	4
JAPAN	2	1	0	1	44	77	-33	3	4	0	4
SOUTH AFRICA	1	0	0	1	32	34	-2	4	3	2	2
UNITED STATES	1	0	0	1	16	25	-9	2	2	0	0

Preview
This is a massive game for both teams. South Africa must come back with a bonus point win to make up for their shock loss to Japan whilst Samoa will be eyeing top spot in this Pool.

South Africa has made a number of changes to their side including most of the backline. It is do or die for them and they will surely bring back a hugely physical game.

Samoa is not known for standing back and will bring their physicality to this game. For them it is a chance to secure their first win over South Africa and steal top place in this Pool. That is their aim.

This will be a massively brutal game. Can’t wait

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table: South Africa 9th, Samoa 13th

IRB Ranking Points
South Africa 81.15, Samoa 76.18

GWC Rugby Ranking Points
South Africa 81.15, Samoa 76.18

Prediction: South Africa by 9 points. Score 39-30

TEAMS

Samoa
15 Timothy Nanai-Williams, 14 Ken Pisi, 13 Paul Perez, 12 Rey Lee-Lo,
11 Alesana Tuilagi, 10 Michael Stanley, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Ofisa Treviranus (Capt), 7 Jack Lam, 6 TJ Ioane, 5 Joseph Tekori, 4 Teofilo Paulo, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Motu Matu'u, 1 Zak Taulafo
Replacements
16 Ole Avei, 17 Viliami Afatia, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Faifili Levave, 20 Vavae Tuilagi, 21 Vavao Afemai, 22 Tusi Pisi, 23 George Pisi

Head Coach:Stephen Betham

South Africa
15 William le Roux, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jean de Villiers (Capt.), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements
16 Schalk Brits, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Lood de Jager,
20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Patrick Lambie, 23 Jesse Kriel.
Head Coach: Heyneke Meyer