Both protagonists in Saturday’s big Nations Championship clash between the Springboks and England at Ellis Park have been rocked by late injury withdrawals.
The conversation piece when journalists arrived at the media centre at lunchtime revolved around the changes that have been made to the South African team, with Rapport having broken the news online - with two of the most experienced players in the pack, Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi, understood to have had to withdraw from the game.
Etzebeth is understood to be out with a concussion, while Kolisi has a grade 1 ankle strain that is considered relatively minor and will keep him out of action for two to three weeks. But England haven’t been without problems of their own, with fullback George Furbank understood to have had to withdraw following a bout of appendicitis. Marcus Smith is slated to replace him in the visiting team’s last line of defence.
The Bok response to the withdrawal of Etzebeth was to rely on the utility value of key player Pieter-Steph du Toit, who will switch from the blindside flank to the second row as partner to Ruan Nortje. Kolisi’s place on the side of the scrum is taken by Paul de Villiers, who comes in from outside the match 23 to make his test match debut in the No 6 jersey.
Du Toit will be replaced on the blindside flank by Cameron Hanekom, something that does give the Boks a very different look but also an exciting one in terms of the mobility added to the pack.
It is not known yet who will lead the Boks in this historic first-ever Nations Championship game on South African soil, but the leading candidates would be the official vice-captain Damian de Allende or Jesse Kriel. Kriel, like Pieter-Steph du Toit, has captained the Boks before, so both of them will be in the frame to lead.
Ben-Jason Dixon, because he can play both flank and lock, would be the logical choice to come in as the loose-forward reserve replacement for Hanekom.