Ireland v South Africa: Cheslin Kolbe returns at full-back for Springboks
- Published
Cheslin Kolbe last featured for the Springboks against Wales in July
Autumn international - Ireland v South Africa |
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Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin Date: Saturday, 5 November Kick-off: 17:30 GMT |
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Sounds, Radio Ulster & text commentary online |
South Africa have been boosted by the return of Cheslin Kolbe at full-back for Saturday's Test with world number one side Ireland in Dublin.
Kolbe will make his first Springboks appearance since breaking his jaw against Wales in June.
"Cheslin has the potential to add a new dimension to our game at full-back," said South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber.
Nienaber said Kolbe "will slot in as a back-up fly-half if necessary".
The World Cup holders have named a settled team for the Aviva Stadium encounter with Damian Willemse starting at fly-half.
The sides will also meet in Pool B in the World Cup in France next year.
"We selected a team we believe contains the best combinations to counter the threats posed by Ireland," said Nienaber.
"Ireland are the top-ranked team in the world currently and they've shown in the past that they can be a force to reckoned with in Dublin.
"We last faced them on their home patch in 2017 and they beat us 38-3 in that match, and they also beat us here 29-15 in 2014. They will draw confidence from that.
"Similarly to us, they will also view this as a vital clash with an eye on next year's Rugby World Cup in France.
"This match is important for us for many reasons, one of which is to test our player combinations with the World Cup less than a year away."
Bulls pair Sbu Nkosi and Marco van Staden sustained rib injuries in Sunday's United Rugby Championship game against the Sharks and will not join the South Africa squad.
Nienaber confirmed they will not be replaced at this stage as there is sufficient cover in the touring group.
South Africa: Kolbe; Arendse, Kriel, De Allende, Mapimpi; Willemse, Hendrikse; Kitshoff, Marx; Malherbe, Etzebeth, De Jager, Kolisi (capt), Du Toit, Wiese.
Replacements: Mbonambi, Nche, Koch, Mostert, Fourie, Smith, De Klerk, Le Roux.
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