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Venter wants to contribute for the Boks

Cape Town - New Springbok centre Francois Venter wants to make an impact and not just make up the numbers against the Barbarians at Wembley.

The Cheetahs captain featured for South Africa 'A' earlier this year against the England Saxons, and following his selection for this Saturday's match moves a step closer to winning his first Test cap.

Venter's good form in Super Rugby has resulted in a call-up and he will partner another rising star in South Africa in midfield when he teams up with Lions centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg.

Discussing his selection, the 25-year-old Venter admitted that his selection was a dream come true.

"It's a huge honour for me. Every boy in South Africa dreams to be able to do this," Venter said.

"The most important thing is to not just get into the side, but to contribute."

Venter added that while success for the Springboks may not come overnight, all the players were invested in the coaches' game-plan moving forward, despite some tough results in the Rugby Championship.

South Africa will take on England, Italy and Wales after this weekend's outing at the traditional home of English football at Wembley Stadium.

"We have a plan and we work very hard, so it is all about contributing and making it a successful unit - maybe not overnight, but we have a plan and everyone has bought in and we're working towards that," Venter continued.

"Personally for me, this is a great opportunity. I want to grab it with both hands and go and enjoy myself."

Teams:

South Africa

15 Jesse Kriel, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11 Jamba Ulengo, 10 Pat Lambie (captain), 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Roelof Smit, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Beast Mtawarira

Substitutes: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Lizo Gqoboka, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Jean-Luc du Preez, 21 Piet van Zyl, 22 Tian Schoeman, 23 Ruan Combrinck

Barbarians

15 Melani Nanai (Blues), 14 Matt Faddes (Highlanders), 13 Seta Tamanivalu (Crusaders & New Zealand), 12 Richard Buckman (Highlanders & Panasonic), 11 Taqele Naiyaravoro (Waratahs, Panasonic & Australia), 10 Robert du Preez (Stormers), 9 Andy Ellis (Crusaders, Kobelco Steelers & New Zealand), 1 Reggie Goodes (Hurricanes), 2 Akker van der Merwe (Lions), 3 Paddy Ryan (Waratahs & Australia), 4 Martin Muller (Lions), 5 Michael Fatialofa (Hurricanes), 6 Brad Shields (Hurricanes), 7 Jordan Taufua (Crusaders), 8 Luke Whitelock (Highlanders & New Zealand)

Substitutes: 16 Andrew Ready (Reds), 17 Schalk van der Merwe (Montpellier), 18 Toby Smith (Rebels & Australia), 19 Sam Carter, (Brumbies & Australia), 20 Ruan Ackermann (Lions), 21 Nic Stirzaker (Rebels), 22 Richard Mo’unga (Crusaders), 23 Luke Morahan (Force & Australia)

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