Springboks name team to play Wallabies, give Jean Kleyn his debut

Jacques Nienaber had named his Springboks team to face Eddie Jones’ Wallabies in Saturday’s Rugby Championship opener on Saturday in Pretoria. A statement read: “Experienced No8 Duane Vermeulen will lead the Springboks for the third time in their opening Castle Lager Rugby Championship clash against Australia at Loftus Versfeld.

“Vermeulen leads a team featuring a core of Rugby World Cup winners and talented newcomers – who have excelled at vital moments in the past few seasons – and includes a debutant in former Ireland international lock Jean Kleyn, who will earn his first Springbok Test cap.

“Fly-half Manie Libbok and loose forward Marco van Staden also make their first starts having previously made three and 10 appearances respectively as replacements. Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber also named 14 players to depart early for New Zealand on Tuesday to acclimatise and maximise the chances of performing well in the first two Tests, separated by seven days, and 12 000km and 10 time zones.

“Vermeulen, who captained the Springboks against Argentina and the All Blacks in 2019, takes over the armband from the injured Siya Kolisi, and forms a powerful loose trio against the Wallabies with Pieter-Steph du Toit and van Staden, while Nienaber selected a front row featuring props Frans Malherbe and Ox Nche, and hooker Bongi Mbonambi. Kleyn partners Marvin Orie at lock.

“In the backline, exciting Vodacom Bulls wingers Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse will play in front of their home fans with experienced fullback Willie le Roux serving as the last line of defence at full-back while Lukhanyo Am returns for the first time since August to renew a former Cell C Sharks provincial partnership with Andre Esterhuizen.

“Libbok is partnered at halfback by scrum-half Cobus Reinach – who makes his first start since the final match of the 2021 season. Nienaber opted for a six-two split in favour of the forwards on the bench with the only two backline players; Grant Williams, who will provide cover at scrum-half and wing, and Damian Willemse who will cover flyhalf, centre and full-back.

“Fly-half Elton Jantjies, prop Trevor Nyakane and scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies will remain with the team to assist in their preparations for Saturday’s season-opener and to provide cover if necessary, meaning the coaches will have a group of 26 players to work with this week.

“The group departing early to New Zealand with a handful of management includes Kolisi, who will continue to work with the medical and conditioning staff on his rehabilitation from a knee surgery. They will be joined early by Nienaber, assistant coach Felix Jones and Director of Rugby, Rassie Erasmus, who will travel to New Zealand immediately after the Australia Test to ensure that the team has a full week of training.

“Another 17 or 18 players and team management members will travel to New Zealand on Sunday afternoon. That group of players will be decided following the Test against Australia – based on the team’s needs for the forthcoming Test against New Zealand and player performances against Australia.

“The players that will travel to New Zealand on Tuesday are Steven Kitshoff (prop), Malcolm Marx (hooker), Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager (both locks), Franco Mostert and Jean-Luc du Preez (both utility forwards), Kwagga Smith (loose forward), Faf de Klerk (scrumhalf), Cheslin Kolbe and Makazole Mapimpi (both wings), Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel (both centres), and Kolisi. Jasper Wiese (loose forward) will join those players in New Zealand later in the week following the birth of his child on Monday.”

Nienaber said: “Our plan from the outset was to select a squad that we believe has what it takes to beat Australia while at the same time selecting a group of players that could travel to New Zealand to give us the best possible chance to do well in both matches. Our last Castle Lager Rugby Championship match is in Johannesburg and then we’ll be able to select a squad from our full complement of players.

“This squad features several Rugby World Cup winners and a crop of younger players who have done the job for us at the highest level, and judging by their enthusiasm and high work ethic at training, we know they are the right players for this big task.”

Springboks (vs Wallabies, Saturday):

15 – Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz) – 83 caps, 65 pts (13t)

14 – Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 4 caps, 5 pts (1t)

13 – Lukhanyo Am (Cell C Sharks) – 31 caps, 30 pts (6t)

12 – Andre Esterhuizen (Harlequins) – 11 caps, 0 pts

11 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 7 caps, 35 pts (7t)

10 – Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers) – 3 caps, 10 pts (5c)

9 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 24 caps, 45 pts (9t)

8 – Duane Vermeulen (captain, Ulster) – 65 caps, 15 pts (3t)

7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 66 caps, 25 pts (5t)

6 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 10 caps, 0 pts

5 – Marvin Orie (DHL Stormers) – 11 caps, 0 pts

4 – Jean Kleyn (Munster) – uncapped for SA (Ireland 5 caps)

3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 58 caps, 5 pts (1t)

2 – Bongi Mbonambi (Cell C Sharks) – 56 caps, 60 pts (12t)

1 – Ox Nche (Cell C Sharks) – 19 caps, 0 pts

Replacements:

16 – Joseph Dweba (DHL Stormers) – 4 caps, 0 pts

17 – Thomas du Toit (Cell C Sharks) – 15 caps, 0 pts

18 – Vincent Koch (Stade Francais) – 41 caps, 0 pts

19 – RG Snyman (Munster) – 23 caps, 5 pts (1t)

20 – Evan Roos (DHL Stormers) – 3 caps, 0 pts

21 – Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers) – 5 caps, 0 pts

22 – Grant Williams (Cell C Sharks) – 1 cap, 0 pts

23 – Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 27 caps, 36 pts (2t, 4c, 4p, 2d)