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Cape Town - As they prepare to face the Wallabies in Pretoria on Saturday, Springbok coach Allister Coetzee says he is happy with his loose forward combination.
Coetzee again opted for Oupa Mohoje and Francois Louw as flanks, along with Warren Whiteley as No 8.
“As a loosie, Oupa is really doing well at lineout time. He’s got a massive work-rate and that is what you need against the Aussies. It’s a team that will keep the ball for phases and phases,” Coetzee said on SuperSport Blitz after naming his team on Thursday.
Mohoje’s work-rate on defence will be vital against the Wallabies, Coetzee insisted.
“If you have a look at the stats of last year - in the Rugby Championship against Australia - there were the most tackles ever made by a Springbok team, in excess of 200 tackles. So you need a loosie who can give you that width on defence and has an engine to keep defending because they’re very good at holding on to the ball. That is Oupa’s role in the team. He’s also been carrying well, so I’m pretty pleased with our combination.”
Coetzee also defined the roles of Louw and Whiteley.
"Francois Louw is playing towards the ball and it’s not just stealing... there is a perception that Francois Louw is in the team just to turn ball over at the breakdown. No, no... he is securing our first phase possession, getting to that first ruck very quickly to secure that. And obviously with Warren and his pace and linking ability... therefore I’m happy with the combination we have at the moment."
Saturday’s Test at Loftus Versfeld is scheduled for 17:05.
Teams:
Springboks
15 Pat Lambie, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Substitutes: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Julian Redelinghuys, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Willem Alberts, 21 Jaco Kriel, 22 Lionel Mapoe, 23 Willie le Roux
Wallabies
15 Israel Folau, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Samu Kerevi, 12 Bernard Foley, 11 Reece Hodge, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Sean McMahon, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Dean Mumm, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Adam Coleman, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Stephen Moore (captain), 1 Scott Sio
Substitutes (from): 16 James Hanson, 17 James Slipper, 18 Tom Robertson, 19 Kane Douglas, 20 Scott Fardy, 21 Lopeti Timani, 22 Nick Phipps, 23 Tevita Kuridrani, 24 Sefa Naivalu
