South Africa have named a surprise halves pairing of Manie Libbok and Cobus Reinach and only five forwards on the bench for their Rugby World Cup quarter-final against hosts France.
Coach Jacques Nienaber had several selection conundrums ahead of the game at the Stade de France, with the most anticipated being the choice of flyhalf, and in naming his side on Friday gave the nod to Libbok despite misgivings about his kicking ability.
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He is selected over Handre Pollard, who is seen as much more reliable with his kicking but not as innovative in the pivot post.
Reinach comes in for Faf de Klerk at scrumhalf, with Nienaber saying he was better suited to dealing with the French kicking game.
"We selected the team that we think will give us the best opportunity to win the game on Sunday," the coach said.
After picking seven forwards among the replacements for their last huge clash against Ireland, Nienaber has gone with a 5-3 split of forwards to backs, marking a change of approach as they look to match the attacking verve of the hosts.
“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.”
Eight of Sunday’s starting XV started in the 32-12 victory over England four years ago, with seven players from that World Cup Final coming off the bench.
South Africa (15-1): Damian Willemse; Kurt-Lee Arendese, Jesse Kriel, Damian De Allende, Cheslin Kolbe; Manie Libbok, Cobus Reinach; Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (capt); Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth; Frans Malherbe, Bong Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff
Replacements: Deon Fourie, Ox Nche, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith, Faf de Klerk, Handre Pollard, Willie Le Roux
