Rugby
Springboks make three changes for Samoa─── OWEN OWEN 14:25 Wed, 19 Jun 2013
Owen Kock
Bloemfontein. - Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer earler today named his team to play Samoa in the final of a four-nation tournament at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Meyer's team shows three changes -- all of them in the pack -- from the side which beat Scotland 30-17 in Nelspruit last weekend.
SA captain Jean de Villiers will be given until Friday to prove that he has fully recovered from a sternum injury, which has kept him off the training field this week.
In a shock move, Flip van der Merwe has been included in the starting line-up, as has Willem Albertse, but the latter could be replaced by Siya Kolisi.
The backline will be unchanged from last weekend, should De Villiers pass his fitness test, but Jan Serfontein will start at inside centre should the skipper fail in his bid to make the side.
Cjeetah skipper Adriaan Strauss will lead the Springboks in De Villiers' absence, while Bryan Habana would take over the vice-captaincy.
Springbok team: Willie le Roux, Bryan Habana, JJ Engelbrecht, Jean de Villiers (capt) or Jan Serfontein, Bjorn Basson, Morne Steyn, Ruan Pienaar, Pierre Spies, Willem Alberts or Siya Kolisi, Francois Louw, Flip van der Merwe, Eben Etzebeth, Jannie du Plessis, Adriaan Strauss, Tendai Mtawarira. Replacements: Bismarck du Plessis, Trevor Nyakane, Coenie Oosthuizen, Juandre Kruger, Siya Kolisi or Marcell Coetzee, Piet van Zyl, Patrick Lambie, Jan Serfontein or Juan de Jongh.
Bloemfontein. - Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer earler today named his team to play Samoa in the final of a four-nation tournament at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Meyer's team shows three changes -- all of them in the pack -- from the side which beat Scotland 30-17 in Nelspruit last weekend.
SA captain Jean de Villiers will be given until Friday to prove that he has fully recovered from a sternum injury, which has kept him off the training field this week.
In a shock move, Flip van der Merwe has been included in the starting line-up, as has Willem Albertse, but the latter could be replaced by Siya Kolisi.
The backline will be unchanged from last weekend, should De Villiers pass his fitness test, but Jan Serfontein will start at inside centre should the skipper fail in his bid to make the side.
Cjeetah skipper Adriaan Strauss will lead the Springboks in De Villiers' absence, while Bryan Habana would take over the vice-captaincy.
Springbok team: Willie le Roux, Bryan Habana, JJ Engelbrecht, Jean de Villiers (capt) or Jan Serfontein, Bjorn Basson, Morne Steyn, Ruan Pienaar, Pierre Spies, Willem Alberts or Siya Kolisi, Francois Louw, Flip van der Merwe, Eben Etzebeth, Jannie du Plessis, Adriaan Strauss, Tendai Mtawarira. Replacements: Bismarck du Plessis, Trevor Nyakane, Coenie Oosthuizen, Juandre Kruger, Siya Kolisi or Marcell Coetzee, Piet van Zyl, Patrick Lambie, Jan Serfontein or Juan de Jongh.
