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Raubenheimer to start for Boks

Johannesburg - Springbok fetcher Heinrich Brussow will, barring injury, play in the Test against France on Friday, November 13 after all.

That is the result of the finger injured by Pierre Spies on Monday which will see him miss the Springboks’ tour of Europe.

Jean Deysel of the Sharks has been called up to the squad and Brussow has been replaced by the Sharks flank in the squad to play Leicester Tigers on Friday night at the opening of the Premiership champions’ new stand.

Brussow has been ordered to now stay behind and train with the other 14 Boks who will only leave South Africa next Tuesday and will fly direct to France for the Test.

From within the Springbok players’ camp this team is seen as the Test side.

The side playing Leicester leaves for Heathrow on Tuesday evening.

The Spies injury sees uncapped Dewald Potgieter move from No 7 flank to No 6 with Griquas’ surprise inclusion in the team, Davon Raubenheimer, moving from the bench to the starting line-up as the other flank.

Deysel, who joined the Springboks on Tuesday morning after being called up on Monday night, takes Raubenheimer’s place on the bench.

“I don’t mind moving to No 6,” said Potgieter, impressive throughout the season and also as a captain of the Emerging Boks when they fight back so magnificently to draw with the British and Irish Lions at Newlands.

“The decision to move me to No 6 was probably made because I play to the ball a little more than Davon and because the coaching staff obviously expect it to be a tight match against Leicester.”

Potgieter points out this was his position for the Emerging Boks against the Lions and also in the Currie Cup when the Blue Bulls fetcher Deon Stegmann was injured.

He also filled in for Spies at No 8 when the big man was injured in the Blue Bulls’ Currie Cup campaign.

Potgieter does not foresee the side struggling to gel. “We’ll have four days of training together - the same we had for the Emerging Boks.

“We play a simple game plan which is easy to slot into. Also, most South African sides play very much to the same game plan, so I don’t foresee any problems in that respect.”

While admitting that it has been a long season, Potgieter said the Bulls and Blue Bulls’ successes in the Super 14 and Currie Cup ensured a continuing enthusiasm.

“And this tour is a further injection,” he added. “I really look forward to it.”

Time for rest there will be after coming back from Europe. The Bulls will be giving their players a three-week break after a season of virtual non-stop rugby in which their Boks featured in 15 Super 14 matches, were involved in nine Test matches to date with three waiting in Europe, and also four or five Currie Cup games towards the end of the season after their return from Test duty.

Revised Springbok team to face Leicester:

1 Gurthro Steenkamp, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle (captain), 3 Jannie du Plessis, 4 Danie Rossouw, 5 Andries Bekker, 6 Dewald Potgieter, 7 Davon Raubenheimer, 8 Ashley Johnson, 9 Heini Adams, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 11 Jongi Nokwe, 12 Wynand Olivier, 13 Juan de Jongh, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 15 Earl Rose.

Reserves: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Alistair Hargreaves, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Francois Hougaard, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Riaan Viljoen

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