JOHANNESBURG — Bok coach Rassie Erasmus names his Springbok team tomorrow for Saturday’s first Test against England at Ellis Park. He’s without the Montpellier duo of Frans Steyn and Bismarck du Plessis, both of whom were injured as Montpellier lost to Castres in the French Top 14 final last Saturday. Initially, they were ruled out of selection for the first Test, but now they’ve been withdrawn from the squad for the entire England series. Steyn was last in action for the Boks against France in June 2017, while Du Plessis’s most recent Test match was against Argentina at London’s Olympic Stadium during the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Meanwhile Junior Boks coach Chean Roux has also had a few injury issues to contend with as he named his team for the crucial World Rugby U20 Championship match against France tomorrow. The biggest blow was the loss of flyhalf Damian Willemse. Roux has opted not to replace him with David Coetzer, who provided cover in the warm-up games while Willemse was on Super Rugby duty. Instead Coetzer will start off the bench, and Lubabalo Dobela gets the run-on start. Victory against the hosts will guarantee South Africa a place in the semi-finals. If they lose, their fate will depend on the performance of other teams, particularly Australia, in their final group games. – David O’Sullivan
From SA Rugby
Hooker Bismarck du Plessis and centre Frans Steyn have been withdrawn from the Springbok group because of injury.
Both players sustained the injuries while playing club rugby in France last weekend.
Both went for further investigations and specialist opinions and it was decided to rather withdraw them from the Springbok squad for the Castle Lager Incoming Series against England.
Meanwhile, at the World Rugby U20 Championships, Wandisile Simelane will start on the wing and Lubabalo Dobela at flyhalf when the Junior Springboks meet hosts, France, in their pool decider in Narbonne on Thursday, among six changes to coach Chean Roux’s starting team.
Dobela will make his first start in the competition, and Simelane, who moved from centre to the wing during the match against Ireland, will take over the No 11 jersey, after the SA U20s lost Damian Willemse and Muller du Plessis due to injuries.
Simelane’s switch sees Manuel Rass start in the midfield with Lyle Hendricks, while flanker PJ Steenkamp will join Dian Schoonees and Muller Uys in the loose trio, and Ruan Vermaak partners up with captain Salmaan Moerat at lock.
The other change in the starting team is at hooker, where Schalk Erasmus comes in for Daniel Jooste, who suffered a rib injury at training on Tuesday.
On the bench, versatile front-rower Tiaan van der Merwe provides cover at hooker, and David Coetzer, who joined the team in France on Tuesday morning, at flyhalf. They are both in line for their World Rugby U20 Championship debuts.
Winger Sihle Njezula, meanwhile, makes a welcome return to the match-day squad among the replacements after recovering from the ankle injury he suffered against Georgia.
“Unfortunately we had a few injuries, but we also looked at the group as a whole, and the players that are coming in deserve their places in the squad,” said Roux.
“This is a reward for all their hard work, and I believe they will make a big contribution.”
Roux is expecting a physical encounter against the French in front of their home crowd and said: “It is a big challenge to face the host nation. They will be passionate and so will their supporters, and as a team they are big and strong. But we are looking forward it, and we are excited about the match.”
Roux, however, said his charges knew what they had to do to ensure that they guarantee their place in the semi-final.
“I think we are moving in the right direction as a team, and getting better as the tournament progresses, although we still haven’t played to our full potential. The important thing will be to put in a proper 80-minute performance, as opposed to playing in patches,” said Roux.
The match will kick off at 21h00 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport 1.
The semi-finals, which will feature the top team in each pool and the next best-placed side in the competition after the completion of the pool stages, will be hosted on Tuesday, 12 June, and the final on Sunday, 17 June.
Junior Springbok team to face France:
15 – Gianni Lombard (Xerox Golden Lions)
14 – Tyrone Green (Xerox Golden Lions)
13 – Manuel Rass (Xerox Golden Lions)
12 – Lyle Hendricks (DHL Western Province)
11 – Wandisile Simelane (Xerox Golden Lions)
10 – Lubabalo Dobela (Toyota Free State)
9 – Zak Burger (Cell C Sharks)
8 – Muller Uys (DHL Western Province)
7 – PJ Steenkamp (Xerox Golden Lions)
6 – Dian Schoonees (Xerox Golden Lions)
5 – Ruan Vermaak (Xerox Golden Lions)
4 – Salmaan Moerat (captain – DHL Western Province)
3 – Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Xerox Golden Lions)
2 – Schalk Erasmus (DHL Western Province)
1 – Nathan McBeth (Xerox Golden Lions)
Replacements:
16 – Tiaan van der Merwe (Xerox Golden Lions)
17 – Alulutho Tshakweni (Eastern Province)
18 – Sazi Sandi (DHL Western Province)
19 – Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
20 – Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Western Province)
21 – Rewan Kruger (Toyota Free State)
22 – David Coetzer (DHL Western Province)
23 – Sihle Njezula (DHL Western Province)
http://www.sarugby.co.za/article.aspx?category=sarugby/u20&id=4317794
