South Africa boosted by Cheslin Kolbe’s return
Fit-again wing Cheslin Kolbe returns to the Springbok team as the only change to the matchday 23 for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup Final against England in Yokohama.
He regains the right wing berth from stand-in Sbu Nkosi in the only tweak to the team that edged their way to a 19-16 victory over Wales in Sunday’s semi-final.
Siya Kolisi will lead the team out for the 20th time as he becomes the eighth player in the 23 to have won 50 caps.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus named the now familiar six-two split on the bench to field a settled line-up, 22 of whom will be appearing together for the fourth time in the tournament.
This line-up first played together in the knockout-clinching, 49-3, win over Italy a month ago and was retained for the quarter-final, semi-final and now final.
2⃣3⃣ The chosen ones
✈️ The return of the man with the jet shoes
🇿🇦 Carrying a nation's hopes and dreams on their shoulders#StrongerTogether #RWC2019 #RWCFinal #WebbEllisCup #ENGvRSA pic.twitter.com/3sW4hDqf5H— Springboks (@Springboks) October 31, 2019
Only Kolbe’s ankle injury interrupted the pattern.
That momentum has seen the Springboks lose only once in 11 Tests in 2019, during which they claimed the Rugby Championship and climb back into the top two of the World Rugby rankings for the first time since August 2015.
Now rugby’s biggest prize is just 80 minutes away.
Kolisi has the opportunity to follow in footsteps of Francois Pienaar and John Smit by becoming the third Springbok captain to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
It would be achieved on the occasion of his 50th cap: Pienaar did it on his 21st appearance and Smit on his 74th.
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Francois de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Franco Mostert, 21 Francois Louw, 22 Herschel Jantjies, 23 Frans Steyn
Date: Saturday, November 2
Venue: International Stadium, Yokohama
Kick-off: 18:00 (09:00 GMT)
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant referees: Romain Poite (France),, Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
TMO: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)
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