Springboks make 12 changes to team for England clash

South Africa

London β€” World champions South Africa have made a mammoth 12 changes to their starting side for Saturday’s match against England at Twickenham.

Only lock Eben Etzebeth, hooker Bongi Mbonambi and prop Ox Nche have retained their places in the side that kicked off last Sunday’s 32-15 win over Scotland, with Etzebeth, who led the side in Edinburgh, playing the whole 80 minutes at Murrayfield.

Siya Kolisi returns to captain the team, in a back-row also featuring former world player of the year Pieter-Steph du Toit, while wing Cheslin Kolbe is also named in the side.

Grant Williams, a replacement at Murryfield, partners the recalled Manie Libbok at half-back.

South Africa, who this year added the southern hemisphere Rugby Championship title to their back-to-back World Cup crowns, have opted for a more conventional five-three split between forwards and backs on the bench against England after deploying their celebrated ‘Bomb Squad’, featuring seven forwards among the replacements, at Murrayfield.

Grant Williams, a replacement at Murryfield, partners Libbok at half-back in a whole new backline, with Cobus Reinach, Handre Pollard and Lukhanyo Am the three backs among the replacements as Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus tries to minimise the effects of just a six-day preparation week.

This will be the first time South Africa have played England since they edged Steve Borthwick’s men 16-15 in a dramatic World Cup semi-final in France last year — a game where Pollard came off the bench to land the decisive penalty after Erasmus had also opted for a five-three split for that match as well.

“The thinking (about making wholesale changes between the Scotland and England matches) was done three weeks ago, prior to us getting on to the plane,” Erasmus told reporters after announcing his side at the squad’s London hotel on Thursday.

“We’ve been rotating the whole year. We are trying to create depth and quality in depth so that if we get two or three injuries, the third guy isn’t totally new to our system.

“Out of all the teams (in the November internationals), England are the only team that don’t have a six-day turnaround (between any of their matches).

“To handle their kicking game and defence, that will have a heavy load on our backs, so that’s why we have gone 5-3 on the bench.”

‘England to squeeze us with kicking game’

England are on a run of four straight defeats, having suffered narrow losses in their opening November internationals at home to New Zealand (22-24) and Australia (37-42).

“Steve Borthwick has been successful playing a certain style,” said Erasmus.

“At Leicester, they were very much driven around pressure, physicality, kicking game.”

He added: “When you lose two games, even by a point or a last-minute try, the pressure starts to build. I’ve been there, and you normally fall back on what works for you. They’ve been successful like that in the past. We very much expect them to squeeze us with the kicking game.”

Nevertheless, Erasmus insisted England’s losing streak would count for little on Saturday.

“England come off two narrow defeats, but the quality of their performances was good in both matches, so we know the size of the challenge,” he said.

“We lost narrowly to Ireland and France in back-to-back matches in 2022 and a year later were world champions so we know we shouldn’t read anything into the last two results.”

Borthwick is due to name his side later on Thursday.

South Africa (15-1)

Aphelele Fassi; Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Kurt-Lee Arendse; Manie Libbok, Grant Williams; Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (capt); RG Snyman, Eben Etzebeth; Wilco Louw, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche

Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, Elrigh Louw, Kwagga Smith, Cobus Reinach, Handre Pollard, Lukhanyo Am

Coach: Rassie Erasmus (RSA)

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Source: AFP

Picture: X/@GonzalesHein

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