7 December, 2025, 5:49 am Central - 22°C Rain

Faf de Klerk to play 50th test against Scotland

Faf de Klerk to play 50th test against Scotland

By Alipate Narawa
07/09/2023
Photo: therugbypaper.com

Springboks scrum-half Faf de Klerk will make a 50th appearance for South Africa when the World Cup holders begin their defence against Scotland on Monday.

Naming his side two days early, head coach Jacques Nienaber retains 11 of the players who started the 35-7 win over New Zealand at Twickenham.

Jasper Wiese comes in at number eight and winger Cheslin Kolbe returns on the left.

Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel form the centre partnership.

De Allende, De Klerk, flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit, lock Eben Etzebeth, prop Frans Malherbe and captain Siya Kolisi were in the XV from the 2019 final victory, while Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff and Franco Mostert all came off the bench that day against England.

Long-time first choice full-back Willie le Roux, Duane Vermeulen and RG Snyman are World Cup winners among the replacements this time, with a 6-2 split between forwards and backs.

Nienaber says they are pleased with the squad depth we have built in the last few months, and they believe this group of players strikes the right balance to achieve the result they need against Scotland.

He says they have been building for this World Cup for the last four years and they are thrilled to get their campaign started.

South Africa are aiming for an eight successive win against Scotland and have lost just once in the past 15 meetings between the nations.

South Africa will play Scotland at 3.45am Monday.

South Africa: D Willemse, K Arendse, J Kriel, D de Allende, C Kolbe; M Libbok, F de Klerk; S Kitshoff, M Marx, F Malherbe, E Etzebeth, F Mostert, S Kolisi (capt), P du Toit, J Wiese.

Replacements: B Mbonambi, O Nche, T Nyakane, R Snyman, M van Staden, D Vermeulen, G Williams, W le Roux.

Source: BBC


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