The South Africa team
15 Gio Aplon
Age: 28
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 70kg (11st)
Caps: 9
A former Sevens star he is one of the quickest players in the sport and if given any latitude can be devastating: small in stature – he may be vulnerable aerially – but punches above his weight in the tackle.
14 Brendan Basson
Age: 23
Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 82kg (12st 12lb)
Caps: 2
The fact that he can play either wing or fullback underlines how comfortable he will be under the high ball. In just his third cap it will be his first start.
13 Zane Kirchener
Age: 26
Height: 6ft
Weight: 92kg (14st 6lb)
Caps: 10
Ostensibly a fullback, he has been asked to play out of position this evening because he’s a little bit more assured from a defence perspective than some of the alternatives: tough role.
12 Jean de Villiers
Age: 29
Height: 6ft 2in
Weight: 100kg (15st 10lb)
Caps: 63
He passed a fitness test but can’t possibly be at his sharpest. He’ll have a great deal of responsibility in orchestrating the midfield defence: a top player at his best.
11 Bryan Habana
Age: 27
Height: 5ft 10in
Weight: 92kg (14st 6lb)
Caps: 66
Some Springbok supporters have short memories: wasn’t at his best in the Tri-Nations but seems happier now and that is not a good thing for opposing teams. At his best, the best.
10 Morne Steyn
Age: 26
Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 82kg (12st 12lb)
Caps: 21
He arrives to the Aviva stadium nursing a world record 38 successful place-kicks in succession in Test matches: metronomic accuracy occasionally overshadows his other qualities.
9 Ruan Pienaar
Age: 26
Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 84kg (13st 2lb)
Caps: 43
He hasn’t quite settled in at Ulster just yet and will want to banish the memories of his most recent performance at Ravenhill when his passing was unusually wayward.
1 Tendai Mtawarira
Age: 25
Height: 6ft 2in
Weight: 112kg (17st 8lb)
Caps: 22
Phil Vickery’s tormentor in the first Test against the Lions last year, he’s powerful in the scrum and makes an impact all round the pitch.
2 Bismarck du Plessis
Age: 26
Height: 6ft 2in
Weight: 105kg (16st 7lbs)
Caps: 32
His fiery temperament and aggressive style makes him a real handful for opposing teams. He would have twice the number of caps if he wasn’t competing with John Smit (injured) for the position.
3 Jannie du Plessis
Age: 28
Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 113kg (17st 10lbs)
Caps: 20
He’s Bismarck’s older brother and has a reputation for his technical excellence at scrum time. It’s going to be an important facet of the game and he could have an influence
4 Bakkies Botha
Age: 31
Height: 6ft 7in
Weight: 118kg (18st 7lb)
Caps: 68
A nine-week ban for punching All Black scrumhalf Jimmy Cowan needs little elaboration: he sets the physical tone for the collisions and will relish that aspect of the game.
5 Victor Matfield (capt)
Age: 33
Height: 6ft 7in
Weight: 110kg (17st 4lb)
Caps: 101
He is a superb athlete whose lineout skills sometimes dwarf his other attributes of which there are many. There’s no point in kicking re-starts to him either. The last time he dropped one he was probably about seven.
6 Dean Stegmann
Age: 24
Height: 6ft 3in
Weight: 103kg (16st 3lb)
Caps: 0
The only debutant on the Springboks team, he gets his opportunity because of Schalk Burger’s injury. He’s been consistently very good in the last three Super 14 tournaments: under 11 seconds for 100 metres.
7 Juan Smith
Age: 29
Height: 6ft 4in
Weight: 106kg (16st 9lb)
Caps: 65
He missed the early part of the Tri-Nations but returned for the last three matches; a great athlete and a superb competitor both in attack and defence.
8 Pierre Spies
Age: 25
Height: 6ft 4in
Weight: 103kg (16st 2lbs)
Caps: 37
He is ridiculously quick in broken field and possesses a happy knack of staying on his feet in the tackle. Will be a big threat from any scrum close in or if put into space.
– John O’Sullivan
