The Springboks have allowed a slew of players to return to their franchise teams, ahead of their final tour match against Wales.
Springbok scrum coach Daan Human says that playing a close to completely changed team for their final end-of-year-tour match against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday will be nothing new.
Coach Rassie Erasmus revealed after their grinding win over Ireland over the past weekend that they would be without their UK based Boks, namely RG Snyman, Thomas du Toit and Boan Venter, while a number of Japanese clubs have asked for the release of some of their players.
It has been confirmed that World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year Malcolm Marx, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Grant Williams, Handré Pollard, Manie Libbok, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe, and Edwill van der Merwe, have all returned to their franchise teams.
Erasmus explained that they would thus only have a group of about 25-players for the match against Wales.
The Boks are thus expected to name a team that is quite different from the one that did duty against Ireland at the weekend.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is expected to keep the flyhalf jersey, and will likely be partnered with Morné van den Berg, while André Esterhuizen and Damian de Allende could be tasked with the midfield duties.
Damian Willemse will probably keep his fullback slot, and might be flanked by Canan Moodie and Ethan Hooker on the wings.
Interesting forward pack
The forward pack could see a front row of Ntuthuko Mchunu, Johan Grobbelaar and Zachary Porthen, with Gerhard Steenekamp, Bongi Mbonambi and Wilco Louw on the bench.
Eben Etzebeth and Ruan Nortjé could be the starting locks, although Jean Kleyn and Franco Mostert are also available, while Siya Kolisi, Ben-Jason Dixon and Marco van Staden might be the loose trio.
“For us it’s not a new thing, because almost week in and week out we are playing with a different team. We make a lot of changes and are used to it. It’s obviously always a loss when you lose quality players,” explained Human.
“I can imagine that it might be the same for them. They have players in the (English) Premiership and I am not sure if their URC guys will be available.
“We are missing a couple of players, but it’s another opportunity for some of the guys.”
The Boks are chasing a fifth straight win on tour of the Northern Hemisphere this month to secure an unbeaten end-of-year-trip, which would also see them finish with a superb record of 13 wins from 15 matches over the year.
