Teammate gives up his starting place in team so that Vincent Koch can start in his 50th Springbok match
Frans Malherbe will come off the bench so that Koch can have the deserved honour of earning his 50th Bok cap in the run-on team.
Three former Lowvelders are in the Springbok team to play Wales at Twickenham on Saturday. One, former Pumas front-rower, Vincent Koch, will start the match thanks to a teammate who gave up his starting position so that Koch could start, because he would be earning his 50th Bok cap.
Rugby World Cup-winning prop Koch will scrum down at tighthead in the Boks’ first international since lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in France in October last year as Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus named an exciting matchday 23 on Tuesday.
Frans Malherbe was originally selected to start the match. Shortly after the squad was informed who was in the match-day 23, an unnamed Springbok player approached Erasmus and informed him that it would be Koch’s 50th match.
“We announced the team with Frans originally at tighthead. Five minutes later one of the players came to me and said it was Vincent’s 50th game. When Franna heard that he said ‘no ways’,” the Springbok coach said at the press conference for the team announcement.
“That is how much it means to the players. We do not want a player to come off the bench when it is his 50th game. Especially when there is so little to choose between him and Franna.”
Koch made Mbombela his home when he played 51 matches for the Pumas from 2013 to 2016.
Kwagga Smith will play at open-side flank. He was born in Lydenburg on June 11, 1993. Smith first played rugby for Laerskool Lydenburg, before attending HTS Middelburg.
Faf de Klerk will wear the number nine jersey. De Klerk was born in Mbombela on October 19, 1991. From U9 level, he played for Laerskool Bergland’s A team and also captained the school’s first team. He attended Hoërskool Nelspruit in Grade Eight and Nine before he went to Hoërskool Waterkloof.
The scrum half played 56 matches for the Pumas between 2012 and 2015.
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Bok coach Rassie Erasmus is delighted to see Koch earn his 50th Test cap and lauded the player for being a stalwart for the Boks.
“It’s a special achievement to play 50 Tests,” said Erasmus.
“It requires one to play well consistently and to continue to deliver, and Vincent has certainly done that for us over the years. He’s a hard worker, and he’s had a great season for the Sharks, so we all share in the excitement for him ahead of this big occasion.
“Being such a good team man, I’m sure this will motivate the team even more to start the season on a high note, which will be vital to build momentum before the Castle Lager Incoming Series kicks off against Ireland in July.”
Springbok team to face Wales:
15 – Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 3 caps, 10 points (2t)
14 – Edwill van der Merwe (Emirates Lions) – Uncapped
13 – Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 68 caps, 75 points (15t)
12 – André Esterhuizen (Harlequins) – 16 caps, 0 pts
11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) –
41 caps, 130 points (26t)
10 – Jordan Hendrikse (Emirates Lions) – Uncapped
9 – Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles) – 55 caps, 50 points (5t, 5c, 5pg)
8 – Evan Roos (DHL Stormers) – 5 caps, 0 points
7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain – Toyota Verblitz) –
77 caps, 40 points (8t)
6 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 40 caps, 35 pts (7t)
5 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat, Japan) – 73 caps, 15 points (3t)
4 – Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) –
119 caps, 30 points (6t)
3 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) –
49 caps, 5 points (1t)
2 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 64 caps, 85 points (17t)
1 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 27 caps, 0 pts.
Replacements:
16 – Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 68 caps, 65 points (13t)
17 – Ntuthuko Mchunu (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 1 cap, 0 points
18 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 69 caps, 5 points (1t)
19 – Salmaan Moerat (DHL Stormers) – 3 caps, 0 points
20 – Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers) – Uncapped
21 – Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 8 caps, 10 points (2t)
22 – Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – Uncapped
23 – Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 78 caps, 55 points (11t).
