Head coach Jacques Nienaber is confident the Springbok 23 selected to face Wales on Saturday are primed to “peak at the right time” in the build-up to the World Cup.
Nienaber named an experienced lineup for the clash at the Principality Stadium as he looked to start building momentum and cohesiveness within his squad for the tournament, which kicks off in France on Friday, 8 September.
Captain Siya Kolisi and loosehead prop Ox Nche make their return from injury while scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse makes his first appearance following a family bereavement.
“We have two Tests left before we begin our Rugby World Cup campaign and our focus now is to start building momentum and continuity so that we can peak at the right time for our opening game against Scotland in just under four weeks,” said Nienaber.
“We gave most of the players in the expanded squad a run in the last four matches and they are now battle-hardened and we know anyone in this squad can step in and rise to the challenge whenever they are selected.”
Nienaber was excited to welcome back Kolisi and Nche, adding: “Siya and Ox have been working extremely hard on their rehabilitation over the course of several weeks, and it’s fantastic that everything worked out according to plan to allow us to select them for this match.
TEAM: Kolisi back to captain Boks
“They have two matches to build up their match fitness before the World Cup, and although it will be important to manage their load in the match, it’s vital that they return to the field as they are key players in our setup.”
The Bok coach was also delighted to hand Hendrikse a start: “Jaden was unfortunate not to play in the last few weeks, but he is a top-class player and he’s been training hard, so we are pleased that he’ll finally get his chance this weekend. Unlike Siya and Ox, he’s been training fully with us for weeks, so it’s a matter of getting back into game mode for him.”
Nienaber expected a physical onslaught from Wales and said the Boks needed to be ready mentally and physically for the challenge.
“Wales are a gutsy team, and similarly to the Pumas, they don’t hold back,” he added. “So, we need to be up for the match physically and get into every battle from the get-go.
“They’ll also draw confidence from the fact that they won four of their last five games against us at home, but we did well to grind out a win against them last year, so we expect it to be an epic battle.”
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter