Springbok team to face the Wallabies

Rudy Paige will make his starting debut for the Springboks on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld in the team’s penultimate Castle Lager Rugby Championship fixture of the year.

The inclusion of Paige at scrumhalf is one of three changes made to the Springbok line-up that started the match against the All Blacks two weeks ago in Christchurch.

The only other change to the starting line-up sees Pat Lambie return to the team for the first time since he suffered concussion in the series opener against Ireland in June. Lambie will play fullback, where he is preferred over Johan Goosen. The Cell C Sharks player, who will earn his 52nd Springbok cap, has already scored 137 Test points in the Green and Gold jersey.

The Springbok team to face the Wallabies in Pretoria:

15. Pat Lambie (Cell C Sharks) 51 caps, 137 points
14. Bryan Habana (vice-captain, Toulon, France) 121 caps, 330 points
13. Jesse Kriel (Vodacom Bulls) 16 caps, 15 points
12. Juan de Jongh (DHL Stormers) 17 caps, 15 points
11. Francois Hougaard (Worcester Warriors, England) 37 caps, 25 points
10. Morné Steyn (Stade Francais, France) 64 caps, 703 points
9. Rudy Paige (Vodacom Bulls) 4 caps, 0 points
8. Warren Whiteley (Emirates Lions) 10 caps, 15 points
7. Oupa Mohoje (Toyota Cheetahs) 12 caps, 0 points
6. Francois Louw (Bath, England) 50 caps, 40 points
5. Pieter-Steph du Toit (DHL Stormers) 15 caps, 15 points
4. Eben Etzebeth (DHL Stormers) 51 caps, 10 points
3. Vincent Koch (DHL Stormers/Steval Pumas) 5 caps, 0 points
2. Adriaan Strauss (captain, Vodacom Bulls) 61 caps, 30 points
1. Tendai Mtawarira (Cell C Sharks) 82 caps, 10 points

Replacements:

16. Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers) 2 caps, 0 points
17. Steven Kitshoff (Bordeaux, France) 5 caps, 0 points
18. Julian Redelinghuys (Emirates Lions), 6 caps, 0 points
19. Lood de Jager (Toyota Cheetahs), 23 caps, 20 points
20. Willem Alberts (Stade Francais, France) 39 caps, 35 points
21. Jaco Kriel (Emirates Lions) 5 caps, 0 points
22. Lionel Mapoe (Emirates Lions), 7 caps, 0 points
23. Willie le Roux (Canon Eagles, Japan) 37 caps, 45 points