South Africa have named a surprise half-back pairing of Manie Libbok and Cobus Reinach and only five forwards on the bench for Sunday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against hosts France.
Coach Jacques Nienaber had several selection conundrums ahead of the game at the Stade de France, with the most anticipated being the choice of flyhalf.
In naming his side on Friday, Nienaber gave the nod to Libbok despite misgivings about his kicking ability.
The Stormers clubman was selected over Handre Pollard, who is seen as much more reliable with his kicking but not as innovative in the pivot post.
Jacques Nienaber has named the second most experienced #Springboks team ever for Sunday's #RWC2023 quarter-final against France - more here: https://t.co/HDWQWcHJDD 🇿🇦🏉#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/3Q20WMGIMp
— Springboks (@Springboks) October 13, 2023
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Reinach comes in for Faf de Klerk at scrumhalf, with Nienaber saying he was better suited to dealing with the French kicking game.
"We selected the team that we think will give us the best opportunity to win the game on Sunday," the coach said.
After picking seven forwards among the replacements for their last huge clash against Ireland, Nienaber went with a 5-3 split of forwards to backs, marking a change of approach as they look to match the attacking verve of the hosts.
South Africa XV:
15-Damian Willemse, 14-Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13-Jesse Kriel, 12-Damian de Allende, 11-Cheslin Kolbe, 10-Manie Libbok, 9-Cobus Reinach
8-Duane Vermeulen, 7-Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6-Siya Kolisi (capt), 5-Franco Mostert, 4-Eben Etzebeth, 3-Frans Malherbe, 2-Bongi Mbonambi, 1-Steven Kitshoff
Replacements: 16-Deon Fourie, 17-Ox Nche, 18-Vincent Koch, 19-RG Snyman, 20-Kwagga Smith, 21-Faf de Klerk, 22-Handre Pollard, 23-Willie le Roux. -Reuters
