Faf de Klerk and Damian de Allende were included in Springbok starting line-up to face the All Blacks in Durban on Saturday in the final Test of the 2016 Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
The two personnel changes are both due to injuries – scrumhalf De Klerk comes into the starting team again as a replacement for Rudy Paige, who suffered a concussion in the victory over the Wallabies in Pretoria, while De Allende replaces Jesse Kriel, who was ruled out of action as a result of his groin injury.
In a positional change in midfield, Juan de Jongh moves from inside to outside centre, with De Allende now wearing the No 12 jersey. The two wings, Bryan Habana and Francois Hougaard, will swap jerseys for this Test.
The rest of the match-day squad was kept unchanged from the line-up that defeated the Wallabies by 18-10 last Saturday.
“Unfortunately for Rudy, he will not have completed his gradual return to play protocol by this weekend, which gives Faf another opportunity in the No 9 jersey,†said Springbok coach, Allister Coetzee.
He added: “Damian should slot in well next to Juan de Jongh in the midfield as they play together for their Vodacom Super Rugby franchise.â€
According to Coetzee, the bench made a very good impact against the Wallabies: “I expect them to do a similar job this coming weekend. Furthermore, our set-piece have functioned very well and I am hoping for the same against a very good defensive lineout and scrum from the All Blacks.
“The All Blacks will be a huge Test, they are number one side in the world and they have great form at the moment. We are playing at home and the boys are looking forward to the encounter against the world’s best team.
“It is important for us to end the campaign with a good performance against a very good All Blacks side. What I would like to see is that that we keep on improving as a team and build on our continuity and converting more of our opportunities into points.â€
The match will be the last home Test match for Springbok hooker Adriaan Strauss, who will retire from international rugby at the end of the season. New Zealand has already won the 2016 Castle Lager Rugby Championship and a positive result will enable the South Africans to finish in second place.
(statement supplied by SARU)
