Springbok coach Peter de Villiers made ten changes to the starting XV to face the British & Irish Lions in the third and final Test at Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.

De Villiers included only one uncapped player in the starting team when he named Vodacom Blue Bulls player Zane Kirchner at fullback.

Morné Steyn and Chiliboy Ralepelle will both make their first starts for the Springboks at flyhalf and hooker respectively, while the other newcomers to the starting line-up are Johann Muller, Heinrich Brüssow, Ryan Kankowski, Wynand Olivier, Jaque Fourie, Jongi Nokwe and Odwa Ndungane.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to play against the Lions and we respect them so much, that we wanted to give all our players a chance to take them on,” said De Villiers.

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Bulls fullback Zane Kirschner will make his debut as Springbok on Saturday against the British & Irish Lions.

The 25-year-old Bulls fullback is an unexpected addition to the Bok line-up that will try to make history by becoming the first South African team in the two sides’ 118 history to win all three tests in a series. The Springboks have won three series - in 1903, 1962 and 1968 - but never all the tests.

Kirchner joined the team on Monday at Bok coach Peter de Villiers’s request. Although it was initially said that Kirchner was invited to gain experience, De Villiers will on Thursday surprise many by announcing the name of the fullback as a member of the Bok 22-member squad.

Kirchner’s brilliant form in the Super 14 and his performance for the Emerging Boks against the Lions at Newlands, convinced De Villiers to give the Bulls star a chance.

Kirchner has played in 15 of the Bulls’ Super 14 matches and impressed with his excellent tactical kicking and his ability to win back his own high kicks.

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The British & Irish Lions have named their team to face the Springboks in the second test at Loftus with the inclusion of Simon Shaw.

The London Wasps and England lock is one of three changes to the Lions pack following their 26-21 defeat in the first Test in Durban and one of five changes overall to the starting line-up.

Head coach Ian McGeechan has also made four changes to his replacements bench as he goes in search of the victory that will keep the three Test series alive.

The changes made see Rob Kearney replacing the injured Lee Byrne at fullback, whilst Ugo Monye, Alun-Wyn Jones, Phil Vickery and Lee Mears make way for Luke Fitzgerald, Simon Shaw, Adam Jones and Matthew Rees respectively.

Changes among the replacements see Ross ford, Andrew Sheridan and Shane Williams drafted in and Alun-Wyn Jones drop down from the first Test starting XV to replace Donncha O’Callaghan.

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There are some questions about Willem de Waal’s equalising coversion kick for the Emerging Boks in their 13 - 13 draw against the British & Irish Lions at Newlands.

The 31-year-old flyhalf on Tuesday night gave supporters a reason to cheer at the drenched Newlands stadium when he ensured that the Emerging Springboks drew 13-13 with the tourists.

But immediately after the match there was a scramble to establish if the touring team had suffered an injustice.

Journalists approached André Watson, South Africa’s chief referee about the kick. Watson admitted that he had his doubts about whether it was a valid kick and therefore studied visual footage.

The footage appeared to be contradictory but it was finally deduced, partly from the body language of the Lions, that the kick was valid.

“I watched it on Tuesday night in slow motion. With the shot from behind, you are looking for a moment when you see the ball and the posts disappear. You get it on two shots,” said Watson.

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Welsh and British & Irish Lions winger and World Player of the Year 2008 Shane Williams has admitted that the game against the Emerging Springboks on Tuesday at Newlands may be his last for the Lions if he does not perform up to standard.

Williams, who says that the current trip to South Africa is very much his last Lions tour, believes he can force his way back into the Test selection frame with the form that saw him win numerous accolades last year - including IRB Player of the Year, Six Nations player of the year and finishing as the tournament’s top try scorer.

However, should he fail to fire - as he has done all tour - Williams knows he will never wear the Lions shirt again.

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Dick Muir, the coach of the Emerging Springboks have  announced his team on Monday to take on the British & Irish Lions at Newlands on Tuesday the 23rd June 2009.

The team will be captained by Vodacom Blue Bulls flanker Dewald Potgieter, who was skipper of the South African Schools side in 2005.

“We are blessed with the amount of depth we have in South African rugby and the group of players assembled here proves that. We are wary of the fact that the British & Irish Lions will be looking to bounce back after their defeat in the first Test, but I’m confident that we’ll be competitive against them on Tuesday evening,” said Muir.

Muir will be assisted by Jerome Paarwater and Stanley Raubenheimer, while Charles Wessels, the Springboks’ Logistics Manager, has been appointed Team Manager of the Emerging Springbok side.

Emerging Springbok team to play the British & Irish Lions:

15. Zane Kirchner (Vodacom Blue Bulls)

14. Luzuko Vulindlu (The Sharks)

13. Deon van Rensburg (Platinum Leopards)

12. Morgan Newman (Vodacom Western Province)

11. Bjorn Basson (GWK Griquas)

10. Earl Rose (Xerox Golden Lions)

9. Jano Vermaak (Xerox Golden Lions)

8. Duane Vermeulen (Vodacom Western Province)

7. Jean Deysel (The Sharks)

6. Dewald Potgieter (c) (Vodacom Blue Bulls)

5. Wilhelm Steenkamp (Vodacom Blue Bulls)

4. Steven Sykes (The Sharks)

3. Werner Kruger (Vodacom Blue Bulls)

2. Bandise Maku (Vodacom Blue Bulls)

1. Wian du Preez (Vodacom Free State Cheetahs)

Reserves:

16. Tiaan Liebenberg (Vodacom Western Province)

17. Pat Cilliers (The Sharks)

18. Franco van der Merwe (Xerox Golden Lions)

19. Jacques Botes (The Sharks)

20. Heini Adams (Vodacom Blue Bulls)

21. Willem de Waal (Vodacom Western Province)

22. Danwel Demas (Vodacom Free State Cheetahs)

Source: sarugby.co.za 

The British & Irish Lions continued their 100% win record on their South African tour by beating the Sharks 39 - 3 in Durban on Wednesday night.

At the final whistle the Lions had scored five tries to nil in return for their massive domination of possession and field position in a match that at times gave the impression the tourists were more set on going through their formations and patterns rather than pushing for an emphatic victory.

That it eventually ended up in a 36-point victory would have given the Lions’ management great satisfaction for the tourists sometimes eschewed, and sometimes squandered a number of scoring opportunities.

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Head Coach of the British & Irish Lions Tour Ian McGeechan and Manager Gerald Davies have announced their team to face the Sharks on Wednesday in Durban with Paul O’Connell as captain.

Davies said, “We are now halfway through the provincial matches prior to the First Test and the important factor is that the Lions are unbeaten. The next challenge is the Sharks in Durban. The selected team will want to ensure that the one hundred percent playing record is maintained with a victory at ABSA Stadium which is also the venue of the First Test.”

Commenting on the team selection Head Coach Ian McGeechan said, “I am delighted that as we head into the fourth match we only have one player who is unavailable for selection. Read the rest of this entry »

The British & Irish Lions have achieved all their objectives thus far by winning all three first games. They now move from the Highveld to the coast for their next games and have sounded a strong warning to the Springboks ahead of their three tests.

The Lions have moved to Durban to begin preparations for Wednesday’s clash with the Sharks. As it turns out, both teams will be in what used to be known as the Last Outpost of the British Empire for the first part of the week as the Boks are gathering on Tuesday to start the count-down to the 20 June test match in that city.

The Lions were pushed before losing 26-24 to the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein at the weekend, but they showed in the first phase of three matches where the chief objective was to give all the players a run in the Lions jersey that there are several areas where they could trouble the Boks.

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The British & Irish Lions held on for a 26 - 24 win over a spirited Cheetahs side atVodacom Park in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

The Cheetahs missed a number of kicks at goal, which if converted would’ve made them the first Free State team to beat the Lions since 1924.

Replacement flyhalf Louis Strydom attempted a long-range drop goal with two minutes to go but unfortunately for the former Golden Lions pivot and his new team it sailed wide.

It was heartbreaking stuff for the men from Bloemfontein who gave the Lions their first real test of their 10-match tour and Ian McGeechan and his troops will certainly breathe a sigh of relief that the sands of time ran out on the hosts.

Openside flank Heinrich Brussow was outstanding for the Cheetahs as he secured turnover after turnover and tackled anything that moved.

He led the charge at the breakdown, a facet of play that the Cheetahs notably outplayed the visitors in, and was strong with ball in hand. Hooker Adriaan Strauss also had a good showing before he made way for his cousin Richardt.

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