Davids confirms Boks back to full strength for Welsh decider

The Springboks are set to be back at full strength for the third Test decider against Wales at the Cape Town stadium on Saturday, after suffering their first ever defeat against the visitors in South Africa over the past weekend.

An experimental side featuring six debutants showed their inexperience as they were edged in a game they should have won, leading to the final Test being a decider for the series.

Assistant coach Deon Davids confirmed that only centre Andre Esterhuizen would be unavailable for selection this week, after breaking his hand during this past weekend’s game, leaving him in a race against time to be fit for the start of the Rugby Championship next month.

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However few players from the past weekend’s side are expected to be involved in the final Test, with Davids admitting that they would pick their strongest possible team.

Thus only Handre Pollard, Trevor Nyakane, Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Damian Willemse, Malcolm Marx and Vincent Koch are expected to survive from the second Test 23, with the rest of the squad for the finale expected to come from the first Test group.

“It’s always awful to lose in a Springbok jersey. Every time we play we want to win. The team that we selected last week was part of the bigger picture and the plans that we have, and I think that was well communicated to everyone within the squad,” explained Davids.

“We have now seen so much about the 42 players in the squad, under pressure in these circumstances, and that gives us the opportunity to make a selection based on the roadmaps of the players and their performances.

“This Saturday is a final for us and we will select the best team that can achieve the result we would like this weekend.”

Hundredth Bok appearance

Siya Kolisi should thus be back as captain and Etzebeth should be in line to make his hundredth Bok appearance where it all started for him over 10 years ago.

It was a close to full strength Bok team that won the opening game of the series 32-29 after staging a dramatic second half comeback, before the fringe Boks were then guilty of not converting a host of opportunities in losing the second Test 13-12.

The final Test, which should see the Boks name their strongest team of the series, is then expected to be another tight affair, with small margins set to decide an exciting series.

“There are small margins and not a lot of opportunities in the opposition’s 22m in Test rugby. So decision making in that area will be crucial and we have to make the most of the opportunities we create,” said Davids.