Desperate Springboks go bold at No.9
Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:07
Francois Hougaard: The best thing since Fourie du Preez? (c) Gallo
Blue Bulls utility back Francois Hougaard has been handed the Springbok No.9 jersey for Saturday's Tri-Nations Test against the All Blacks - a historic fixture for many, many reasons.
Of course, Saturday will see the Boks play host to their long-time archrivals in Soweto - the venue of the 2010 Soccer World Cup Final - but the match will also be Springbok skipper John Smit's 100th Test outing.
Having made his Test debut in 2000 - against Canada in East London - Smit has served under five different Bok coaches, played in every position in the front row and also played at two World Cups - the last of which saw him hold the trophy aloft in Paris on October 20, 2007.
Smit will become the second Bok centurion; joining ex-teammate and current kicking coach Percy Montgomery, who - ironically - also achieved this feat against the All Blacks; in 2008 at Newlands, a game the Boks lost.
Whilst there is bound to be plenty of fanfare about Smit this week, and rightly so, the veteran Bok skipper took a backseat at Tuesday's team announcement when it was confirmed that Hougaard would take over the No.9 shirt from the injured Ruan Pienaar.
However, Hougaard won't be the only Blue Bull with a few butterflies in his stomach come Saturday... with lock Flip van der Merwe named to make his first start in the No.4 jersey, after Danie Rossouw sat out the early part of the week because of an injury.
Hougaard has played all his 'big' rugby for the Bulls on the wing - because of the presence of Fourie du Preez at No.9 - but the injury to the world's best scrumhalf, along with the unavailability of Pienaar and Ricky Januarie's poor form, have all combined to give him his first Test start in his favoured position of scrumhalf.
It is a big opportunity for the 22-year-old - as well as a daunting task against the all-conquering All Blacks - but he will have the comfort of having his Bulls teammates, Morné Steyn at flyhalf and Pierre Spies at No.8, on either side of him.
In other changes to the SA line-up that went down 13-30 to the Wallabies in Brisbane last month, Gio Aplon moves to fullback in place of the injured Zane Kirchner, World Cup winner JP Pietersen is back in the No.14 shirt and centre Juan de Jongh will make his first-ever Tri-Nations start, alongside Jean de Villiers.
Up front, Juan Smith will make his first start of the year on the flank and a fit-again Jannie du Plessis comes in for BJ Botha in the crucial tighthead position, with the biggest news in the pack seeing Van der Merwe start in the second row with Rossouw - who has a hip flexor injury - on the bench.
Kirchner (injured), Jaque Fourie (suspended), Pienaar (injured), Ryan Kankowski (injured) and Botha (dropped) all miss out from the Brisbane Test, whilst inside centre Wynand Oliver drops down to the bench to make way for the new-look centre duo of De Villiers and De Jongh.
Hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle, prop CJ van der Linde and flyhalf Butch James will once again warm the bench - as they did in Brisbane - with WP hardman Francois Louw riding the pine in place of Bulls loose forward Dewald Potgieter, who was also an injury doubt this week.
South Africa: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Francois Louw, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Butch James, 22 Wynand Olivier.
Date: Saturday, August 21
Venue: FNB Soccer City, Soweto
Kick-off: 17.00 (15.00 GMT)
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant
referees: Alain Rolland (Ireland), Simon McDowell (Ireland)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
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