Cape Town – Elton Jantjies will start at flyhalf for the Springboks in Saturday’s Test against Scotland, while Jesse Kriel and Franco Mostert will both earn their 50th caps.
The 31-year-old Jantjies made a strong impact in the second half of the last Rugby Championship victory over the All Blacks in Australia, and also helped to close out the 23-18 win over Wales in Cardiff at the weekend.
He will now look to show Bok coach Jacques Nienaber what he is capable of from the beginning of the match, where he will try to bring some bite to the attack in order to turn possession and territory into points at Murrayfield (3pm SA time start).
Handré Pollard, who produced a much sharper display against Wales compared to the rest of the season, is on the replacements bench, and it will be interesting to see if gets game time as an inside centre and operates in tandem with Jantjies in the second half.
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In naming his team on Tuesday, Nienaber has given Mostert an opportunity in the No 5 jersey in place of Lood de Jager after playing at blindside flank in recent months, and he will share the honour of a 50th Test cap with Kriel, who has been retained at right wing despite the availability of Sbu Nkosi this week.
Meanwhile, Damian Willemse will miss out due to concussion sustained in Cardiff, which sees Willie le Roux back in the No 15 jersey.
Frans Steyn will also achieve a unique record of becoming the player with the longest Springbok career, beating Victor Matfield’s mark. Matfield’s career spanned over 14 years and 122 days, while Steyn will be up to 15 years and two days if he takes to the pitch at Murrayfield.
“Scotland will be a force to be reckoned with at Murrayfield, so it was important for us to maintain continuity within our squad, while at the same time celebrating Jesse and Franco’s 50th caps and giving Elton a chance to start,” Nienaber said.
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“Elton has been training very well since the squad assembled before the Lions series, and he’s performed well every time he earned a run, so we thought it was the right time to hand him a start.
“It will be a special day for Jesse and Franco as they run out for their 50th Tests at Murrayfield. They are both fantastic servants of the game, and their high work ethic and true team attitude make them vital members of our squad, and we are all delighted to see them achieve this feat.”
The referee for the match will be Angus Gardner of Australia.
Springbok Team
15 Willie le Roux 14 Jesse Kriel 13 Lukhanyo Am 12 Damian de Allende 11 Makazole Mapimpi 10 Elton Jantjies 9 Herschel Jantjies 8 Duane Vermeulen 7 Kwagga Smith 6 Siya Kolisi (captain) 5 Franco Mostert 4 Eben Etzebeth 3 Trevor Nyakane 2 Bongi Mbonambi 1 Ox Nché.
Bench: 16 Malcolm Marx 17 Steven Kitshoff 18 Vincent Koch 19 Lood de Jager 20 Jasper Wiese 21 Cobus Reinach 22 Handré Pollard 23 Frans Steyn.
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