Springbok coach Peter de Villiers on Tuesday named an unchanged team to meet Scotland at Murrayfield in the second of South Africa’s end-of-year Internationals.
Centre Adi Jacobs and lock Bakkies Botha have both recovered from injury and take their place in an identical 22 to the one that defeated Six Nations champions Wales, 20-15, in Cardiff on Saturday.
“Bakkies saw a specialist this morning and was given the all-clear,” said De Villiers. “It’s a big boost to the team – you saw the impact he had in the first 40 minutes against Wales and we’re glad to have him back.
“I decided on an unchanged team to maintain consistency and allow this team to establish themselves as the core 22. We have brought a squad of 28 players but that does not necessarily mean that every player will play on this tour. Players will have to work for their places.”
Team v Scotland (Test caps in brackets)
- Beast Mtawarira (8)
- Bismarck du Plessis (20)
- John Smit (capt) (79)
- Bakkies Botha (53)
- Victor Matfield (78)
- Schalk Burger (47)
- Juan Smith (53)
- Pierre Spies (17)
- Fourie du Preez (43)
- Ruan Pienaar (25)
- Bryan Habana (44)
- Jean de Villiers (44)
- Adi Jacobs (19)
- JP Pietersen (22)
- Conrad Jantjes (22)
- Reserves:
- Brian Mujati (10)
- Gurthro Steenkamp (19)
- Andries Bekker (11)
- Ryan Kankowski (5)
- Ricky Januarie (32)
- Frans Steyn (25)
- Jaque Fourie (34)
Notes:
· The match will be the 20th test between South Africa and Scotland since 1906. South Africa has won 15 and Scotland 4 in their 19 meetings to date.
· The team is unchanged from the last week’s test against Wales.
· 11 of the match 22 played in the previous meeting between the two countries at Murrayfield on August 25 , 2007 – Pietersen, Fourie, Steyn, Habana, du Preez, Smith, Burger, Matfield, and Botha were in the starting XV whilst Pienaar and du Plessis were on the bench.
· John Smit will equal Os Du Randt’s record of 80 test caps as a Bok forward.
· Bryan Habana needs one try to equal Joost van der Westhuizen’s record for four career test tries against Scotland
· Victor Matfield will join Os du Randt and Percy Montgomery on a record seven Bok caps against Scotland
· Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha will extend their record as a lock combination in the starting line-up to 44
· Jaque Fourie needs one try to become the sole record holder for most test tries as a centre (Current record is 19 held with Danie Gerber)
· Bismarck du Plessis needs one try to become the sole record holder for most tries as a hooker (Current record is 5 held with James Dalton)
· Schalk Burger and Juan Smith need one try to become the sole record holder for most tries a flank (Current record is 9 held with Andre Venter)
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