Springboks spring bench surprise for Rugby World Cup quarter-final ...

South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber has sprung some surprises in naming his matchday squad for their highly anticipated Rugby World Cup semi-final against host nation France in Paris on Sunday.

In the backline, the big news is that Manie Libbok and Cobus Reinach have been preferred to Handre Pollard and Faf de Klerk as the starting half-backs while, in the forwards, Duane Vermeulen takes over from Jasper Wiese at number eight.

Of the matchday 23 to face the in-form hosts are only four who were not present when the Springboks were crowned world champions in Japan in 2019, among a team bristling with experience.

“Most of these players have Rugby World Cup experience and several of them were involved in the 2019 final, so they know what it takes to perform in big moments,” said Nienaber.

“20 of these players were also in the matchday squad that played France in Marseille last season, which was a good dress rehearsal for what we can expect from France and their supporters.”

Eight of Sunday’s run-on side started in the 32-12 victory over England four years ago. They are captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Vermeulen, Bongi Mbonambi, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Damian de Allende and Cheslin Kolbe.

Seven other players from the 2019 final are also in the matchday 23 in starting forwards Franco Mostert and Steven Kitshoff, as well as backline replacements Willie le Roux, Pollard and De Klerk, and forward cover in RG Snyman and Vincent Koch.

The only players in the matchday 23 who do not have a winners’ medal are Kurt-Lee Arendse, Libbok and replacements Deon Fourie and Ox Nche.

The starting team shows 11 alterations to the side that defeated Tonga 49-18 in Marseille two weeks ago but, more pertinently, shows only two changes from the team that faced Ireland – with De Klerk dropping to the bench while Vermeulen comes in for Wiese.

Kitshoff, Mbonambi and Malherbe will start in the front-row, while Etzebeth and Mostert will pack down in the engine room, with Kolisi, Du Toit and Vermeulen combining in the back-row.

In the backline, Libbok and Reinach will join forces in an exciting attacking half-back combination, with De Allende and Kriel on duty in midfield, Kolbe and Arendse on the wings, while Damian Willemse slots in at full-back.

Nienaber has also opted for five forwards and three backs on his replacements bench. Fourie serves as the back-up hooker while Nche and Koch (props), Snyman (lock) and Smith (loose forward) offer forward cover.

The three backline replacements are also very experienced, with a combined total of 209 caps between De Klerk, Pollard and Le Roux, who started at scrum-half, fly-half and full-back in the 2019 final in Yokohama.

“We’ve been working with most of these players since 2018 and we’ve been building a squad capable of defending our title,” said Nienaber.

“We believe this group will offer us the impetus we need against a quality French side that will be playing in front of a passionate home crowd.”

Nienaber said he relished the prospect of facing the hosts at one of the world’s iconic rugby stadiums in the quarter-final.

“It’s going to be a massive clash for the players and supporters and we’re really excited about the prospect,” he said. “We’ve been working toward this World Cup since 2018 and we can now book a place in the semi-final, so we have to go out there and give everything.

“It’s do-or-die in the tournament, so we have to be accurate in executing our game plan and we have to capitalise on our opportunities because the margins will be small.

“We know the match is going to be as intense as last year, if not more intense. We had a red card in that match but we were still in with a chance to win it with three or four minutes to go, so discipline will again be important and we’ll have to maintain our good disciplinary record.”

South Africa: 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 (c), 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

Date: Sunday, October 15
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Kick-off: 21:00 local (20:00 BST, 19:00 GMT)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Paul Williams (New Zealand), James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

READ MORE: Schalk Brits exclusive: Springbok ‘superpowers’ key to France quarter-final