Springboks vs England: Predicted lineup; 6-2 or 7-1 split?
11/12/2024 04:02 AM
The Springboks face England this Saturday.
There were mixed emotions as Christophe Ridley blew the final whistle, concluding South Africa’s 32-15 victory over Scotland.
Eben Etzebeth believes the scoreline ‘flattered’ South Africa’s performance, disguising what was arguably their worst performance of the year.
Rassie Erasmus shocked many when he left Siya Kolisi, Steph du Toit and other World Cup winners on the bench, leaving his ‘B’ team to take on a hungry Scotland at Murrayfield Stadium – so, what Springboks team is it going to be this week?
Predicted lineup
Erasmus has become the master of depth, causing headaches for opposition management who struggle to predict what side they will face.
The Springbok coach is likely to bring back several World Cup-winning players, with Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damien de Allende, and Jesse Kriel likely among them.
The quartet, all based in Japan, supposedly missed out on last weekend’s squad due to limited game time, as Japan’s league remains in its offseason; perhaps the Springboks coaching staff felt they needed an extra week of camp before enduring international duty.
Here's my guess on what Springboks side we will see this weekend, which, I believe, will include a 6-2 split on the bench:
1 Ox Nche
2 Bongi Mbonambi
3 Thomas du Toit
4 Eben Etzebeth
5 Franco Mostert
6 Siya Kolisi
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit
8 Jasper Wiese
9 Cobus Reinach
10 Manie Libbok
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse
12 Damian de Allende
13 Jesse Kriel
14 Cheslin Kolbe
15 Aphelele Fassi
Replacements
Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith, Elrigh Louw, Grant Williams and Handre Pollard
Springboks bleak following Scotland
The Springboks ended Sunday’s game victorious, but left the field seemingly frustrated at what was a hard-fought eighty minutes.
"We got a yellow card when they didn't score a try but actually when they had that red card we didn't score a point, they scored more points in that time that was really frustrating" Erasmus said.
"When they were 14 men and we were 15 and we couldn't score that frustrated me a bit but sometimes I think it's just bad luck, I don't think any player goes out there and does that kind of thing on purpose.
"I wouldn't want to be connected to a headline like that, any red card is frustrating if a player did it by accident or did it on purpose which seldom happens,
"Sometimes it's just an accident, so I would feel frustrated."
Will the Springboks beat England?
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