The Springboks had to make two changes due to injury to their match 22 to face the Wallabies in their Tri-Nations encounter at the Suncorpe Stadium in Brisbane this Saturday.

Coach Peter de Villiers announced today that Sharks wing Odwa Ndungane will take the place of his provincial team mate JP Pietersen in the starting line-up, whilst Vodacom Blue Bulls lock Danie Rossouw makes a return to the bench in the place of Vodacom Western Province’s Andries Bekker.

Both Pietersen (hamstring) and Bekker (shoulder) have returned to South Africa after sustaining injuries in the 32-25 win at the Subiaco Oval in Perth last week.

De Villiers also confirmed that concerns over minor ailments to Bakkies Botha and Bryan Habana had eased and that both players would be ready to fill their places on Saturday. Botha was rested from practice on Tuesday but Habana took part in the session.

The match will see Ndungane, who last played for the Springboks in the final Test against the British & Irish Lions in July, earn his fifth Test cap.

De Villiers said that including Ndungane had not been a difficult choice: “Whilst we have a lot of versatile players in the squad, Odwa in the natural winger and therefore was the first choice. He has been running the moves with us for sometime and is familiar with the defensive patterns so he should fit in pretty easily”.

Ndungane said he was glad to get the opportunity to start: “I am looking forward to it. It is a great chance for me to get some game time and hopefully I can make a contribution to the success of the team”.

Rossouw, meanwhile, returns to the bench after missing selection into the match 22 last week with a hamstring strain. He did do duty off the bench in the Vodacom Tri-Nations Test against the Wallabies in Cape Town on August 8 and is able to cover at both lock and flank.

Addressing media in Brisbane, De Villiers was cautious about his team getting ahead of themselves. “We have not won the Tri-Nations title yet and there are still two tough games to play. We are focussing on the immediate task at hand and that is to do well against Australia on Saturday.”

The coach was also asked what it would mean Tendai Mtawarira (17)
Reserves:
16 Chiliboy Ralepelle (7)
17 Jannie du Plessis (11)
18 Danie Rossouw (41)
19 Schalk Burger (51)
20 Ricky Januarie (39)
21 Adi Jacobs (26)
22 Frans Steyn (34)

Source: sarugby.co.za

Tags: peter de villiers, Springboks, wallabies