Share

Boks' Jannie ready for No 34

Cape Town - Springbok prop Jannie du Plessis is eager to finish the gruelling rugby season on a high against England at Twickenham on Saturday.

According to the Beeld website, Du Plessis will play his 34th rugby game of 2012 on Saturday. He started in all of South Africa's 11 Tests this year and featured in 19 Super Rugby games for the Sharks as well as the last three rounds of the Currie Cup.

But the 30-year-old medical doctor is ready for one last assignment before a well-deserved break.

"If you're up for it mentally you can overcome any challenge," he said.

"We have 80 minutes left against England and want to finish the tour on a high note. If that's not enough motivation, then I won't know what is."

Despite a few niggles after a long season, the 30-year-old tighthead is adamant that playing in front of a stadium like Twickenham is enough to get him psyched up for the occasion.

"You’re always going to have a few bumps and bruises at the end of the season, but you just need to forget about it and relish the opportunity to play in a wonderful stadium like Twickenham.

"As soon as God Save the Queen starts, you realise it's going to be a big one," said Du Plessis.

The clash kicks off at 16:30 (SA time) on Saturday.

Teams:

England:

15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Mike Brown, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Ben Youngs, 7 Chris Robshaw (captain), 6 Tom Wood , 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Alex Corbisiero

Substitutes: 16 David Paice, 17 David Wilson, 18 Mako Vunipola, 19 Mouritz Botha, 20 James Haskell , 21 Danny Care, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Jonathan Joseph


South Africa:

15 Zane Kirchner, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp

Substitutes: 16. Schalk Brits, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Pat Cilliers, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Marcell Coetzee, 21 Elton Jantjies, 22 Jaco Taute, 23 Lwazi Mvovo
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE