Cape Town - Springbok speedster Lwazi Mvovo says he’s very happy with his personal form ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
Mvovo displayed impressive form for the Sharks during Super Rugby earlier this season and made three appearances for the Springboks during the Test campaign. This includes one start for South Africa against Argentina in Buenos Aires, where he scored a decisive try during the 26-12 win over the Pumas.
Mvovo is in confident mood ahead of the Springboks’ Rugby World Cup opener against Japan on Saturday.
“I feel very confident at the moment. I played very well against Argentina in our last game, and I’ve gained a lot of confidence ahead of the World Cup. I’m excited to be here,” Mvovo said from the Springboks’ base in England.
“As a team, we have had a great couple of weeks in Durban before our travels. We have worked hard and are ready to make a strong impact this weekend.”
With Mvovo, Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen will provide wing cover in the squad. He believes the trio will offer a balance of attacking rugby and an accurate kicking game.
“One should expect anything on the wing. We need to play what’s given to us on the day,” said Mvovo. “We will have a mixture of kicking and running. And we will go with whatever game plan is chosen and required for the team we play against.”
Saturday’s clash at Brighton Community Stadium is scheduled for 17:45 (SA time).
Teams:
South Africa:
15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Schalk Burger, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Substitutes: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Fourie du Preez, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 JP Pietersen
Japan:
15 Ayumu Goromaru, 14 Akihito Yamada, 13 Male Sau, 12 Craig Wing, 11 Kotaro Matsushima, 10 Kosei Ono, 9 Fumiaki Tanaka, 8 Hendrik Tui, 7 Michael Broadhurst, 6 Michael Leitch, 5 Hitoshi Ono, 4 Luke Thompson, 3 Kensuke Hatakeyama, 2 Shota Horie, 1 Masataka Mikami.
Substitutes: 16 Takeshi Kazu, 17 Keita Inagaki, 18 Hiroshi Yamashita, 19 Shinya Makabe, 20. Amanaki Mafi, 21 Atsushi Hiwasa, 22 Harumichi Tatekawa, 23 Karne Hesketh
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