Vermeulen not ready to take on British and Irish Lions, Morné Steyn can make history

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber made three changes to his starting team for the third and decisive test against the British and Irish Lions, two of which were personnel changes and one positional switch, mainly due to injuries to the influential Pieter-Steph du Toit (flanker) and Faf de Klerk (scrumhalf).

With Du Toit having taken a knock to the shoulder in the second Test last weekend, Franco Mostert moves from lock to the side of the scrum, while Lood de Jager is promoted from the bench to the starting team and will start alongside Eben Etzebeth in the second row.

The other change is at scrumhalf, where Cobus Reinach replaces De Klerk, who has been ruled out due to a muscle strain in his leg.

Contrary to popular expectations, Nienaber could not find a place for Bulls eighth man and captain Duane Vermeulen. Although Vermeulen joined the Springbok camp this past weekend, it can be assumed that after an operation on his ankle, he is not yet ready for the intensity of test rugby.

Nienaber opted to name three backs on the bench, with Morné Steyn (flyhalf) joining Herschel Jantjies (scrumhalf) and Damian Willemse (utility back).

Should Steyn take the field, it would mark a significant occasion for the player, as it would officially see him participate in back-to-back Castle Lager Lions Series tournaments. He kicked the penalty goal that sealed the series victory in 2009, while it would also see Steyn make a return to Test rugby for the first time in five years, after last playing against New Zealand in 2016.

Damian de Allende will become the third Springbok in the Castle Lager Lions Series to reach the career milestone of 50 Test caps in Saturday’s decider in Cape Town, where Morné Steyn could earn his first Test cap since 2016.

“This is a massive Test for us with the Castle Lager Lions Series on the line, so it was important for us to maintain consistency in selection following on last week’s performance. Pieter-Steph du Toit was ruled out due to the shoulder injury he suffered last week, but we are fortunate to have experienced players such as Franco and Lood who can step in and who have the physical presence we need in those roles,” said Nienaber.

He said Reinach is also an experienced player with a calm head and who can handle pressure, and the management believe he will be able to dictate play well alongside Handré Pollard, while Herschel Jantjies has been great in adding the necessary spark the team need off the bench, and will be asked to fulfil that role again.

Nienaber was also pleased to see Steyn back in the Bok jersey for the first time in years.

“I am delighted for Morné – he is a world class player and his work ethic and positive attitude on and off the field since joining the team in Bloemfontein has been impressive. He can also perform under extreme pressure, as he shown for the Springboks and the Bulls, and that skill will be invaluable in such a vital Test,” Nienaber concluded.

Mathieu Raynal (France) will referee the match, with Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand) and Nic Berry (Australia) serving as assistant referees, while Marius Jonker (South Africa) will be the television match official.

 Springbok team to face the British & Irish Lions:

15 – Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz) – 64 caps, 60 pts (12t)

14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse) – 16 caps, 40 pts (8t)

13 – Lukhanyo Am (Sharks) – 17 caps, 20 pts (4t)

12 – Damian de Allende (Munster) – 49 caps, 30 pts (6t)

11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks) – 16 caps, 75 pts (15t)

10 – Handré Pollard (vice-captain, Montpellier) – 51 caps, 494 pts (6t, 79c, 98p, 4d)

9 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 15 caps, 35pts (7t)

8 – Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers) – 2 caps, 0 pts

7 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 42 caps, 5pts (1t)

6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Sharks) – 53 caps, 30 pts (6t)

5 – Lood de Jager (Sale Sharks) – 47 caps, 25 pts (5t)

4 – Eben Etzebeth (Toulon) – 88 caps, 15 pts (3t)

3 – Frans Malherbe (Stormers) – 41 caps, 5pts (1t)

2 – Bongi Mbonambi (Stormers) – 39 caps, 40 pts (8t)

1 – Steven Kitshoff (Stormers) – 50 caps, 5pts (1t)

Replacements:

16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 36 caps, 30 pts (6t)

17 – Trevor Nyakane (Bulls) – 45 caps, 5 pts (1t)

18 – Vincent Koch (Saracens) – 22 caps, 0 pts

19 – Marco van Staden (Bulls) – 4 caps, 0 pts

20 – Kwagga Smith (Yamaha Júbilo) – 9 caps, 5 pts (1t)

21 – Herschel Jantjies (Stormers) – 13 caps, 25 pts (5t)

22 – Morné Steyn (Bulls) – 66 caps, 736 points (8t, 102c, 154p, 10d)

23 – Damian Willemse (Stormers) – 9 caps, 5pts (1t)

 

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram