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Jacques Nienaber defends wholesale Springboks changes for second Welsh test

Jacques Nienaber /Getty

South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber denies it’s a gamble but his decision to make wholesale changes to their winning team for the second Test against Wales has provoked strong reaction.

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Nienaber’s decision to change 19 of his 23 players and rest 14 Rugby World Cup winners with the series still to play for on Saturday has provoked strong reaction.

Wales great Gareth Edwards told Welsh media the decision was disrespectful and could backfire on the world champions, especially after the Springboks’ front-liners scraped home 32-29 in the first Test with a last-second penalty.

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Wales boss Wayne Pivac speaks about ‘feedback’ from World Rugby

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Wales boss Wayne Pivac speaks about ‘feedback’ from World Rugby

South African media have expressed concern over a “radical” team selection by Nienaber – he made 14 switches to his starting 15 – that might prove unforgivable if Wales catch out a Springboks team of fringe players and youngsters to snatch a first Test win over the Boks on South African soil in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

That would end a 58-year run of success at home over Wales for South Africa and leave the series 1-1 with a decider to play.

“If there had been five or six changes, you would maybe have raised an eyebrow. But 14 changes, it’s overwhelming,” said Edwards, the former Wales and British and Irish Lions scrumhalf.

“I don’t think it shows respect for Wales. … It is a great opportunity (for Wales) to beat them and say, ‘Thank you very much for picking that team.'”

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Nienaber defended his wholesale changes by asserting the Springboks “picked a side we believe can beat Wales.”

But that side is without captain Siya Kolisi, without the entire first-choice front row that’s considered the best in the world, without key lineout jumper Lood de Jager, and with a completely new backline from the opening test.

In their defence, South Africa have recalled World Cup-winning flyhalf Handre Pollard, who will also captain, and former world player of the year Pieter-Steph du Toit at flanker. Eben Etzebeth, the only player in the starting 15 to be retained, will play his 99th test.

And responding to claims it was effectively a Springboks B team, Nienaber said: “I don’t think I’d take offence to that, but Handre and Eben will.”

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There is a World Cup just over a year away and Nienaber does need to move the Springboks on from the team of 2019, though the series is still in the balance.

And it also may have thrown up a dilemma for Wales.

“We’re not sure what’s coming,” Wales coach Wayne Pivac said of Nienaber’s left-field selections, which include new caps Kurt-Lee Arendse at right wing and Evan Roos at No.8.

Third-choice scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse will also start. There are four other uncapped players on the Boks’ bench and 13 of the 23 have played less than 10 tests.

In stark contrast, Wales made one change to their 15, preferring the height and strength of Alex Cuthbert in place of Josh Adams on the left wing.

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J
JW 26 minutes ago
Why England's defence of the realm has crumbled without Felix Jones

This piece is nothing more than the result of revisionist fancy of Northern Hemisphere rugby fans. Seeing what they want to see, helped but some surprisingly good results and a desire to get excited about doing something well.


I went back through the 6N highlights and sure enough in every English win I remembered seeing these exact holes on the inside, that are supposedly the fallout out of a Felix Jones system breaking down in the hands of some replacement. Every time the commentators mentioned England being targeted up the seam/around the ruck or whatever. Each game had a try scored on the inside of the blitz, no doubt it was a theme throughout all of their games. Will Jordan specifically says that Holland had design that move to target space he saw during their home series win.


Well I'm here to tell you they were the same holes in a Felix Jones system being built as well. This woe is now sentiment has got to stop. The game is on a high, these games have been fantastic! It is Englands attack that has seen their stocks increase this year, and no doubt that is what SB told him was the teams priority. Or it's simply science, with Englands elite players having worked towards a new player welfare and management system, as part of new partnership with the ERU, that's dictating what the players can and can't put their bodies through.


The only bit of truth in this article is that Felix is not there to work on fixing his defence. England threw away another good chance of winning in the weekend when they froze all enterprise under pressure when no longer playing attacking footy for the second half. That mindset helped (or not helped if you like) of course by all this knee jerk, red brained criticism.

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