Jannie du Plessis and Morné Steyn will reach the special milestone of playing in their 50th Tests for South Africa against Australia at DHL Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday. It will be the second time in Springbok history that two players will earn their 50th caps in the same Test – Jean de Villiers and Bryan Habana, now the two most experienced members of the squad, reached this special milestone together against New Zealand in Durban on August 1, 2009. Du Plessis and Steyn will become the 25th and 26th Springboks to play in 50 Tests for South Africa. Steyn also needs two points to move to 600 Test points for the Boks – he is currently on 598 in his 49 Tests to date. The last Springbok to play in his 50th Test was Jannie’s brother Bismarck du Plessis, against Argentina in Mendoza last month, which means they will become the first set of brothers ever to play in 50 Tests for South Africa. As part of a planned rotational switch, hooker Adriaan Strauss and scrumhalf Fourie du Preez – who will start his first Test for the Springboks since the 2011 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against Australia in New Zealand – come in for Bismarck du Plessis and Ruan Pienaar, respectively, who will both start the Test against Australia on the bench. The rest of the team that played against New Zealand in Auckland is unchanged. “We’re all very pleased for Jannie and Morné, who are great ambassadors for South Africa and the Springboks,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer. “They have endured through difficult times but have shown a lot of resilience and that is why they have made it to this special milestone. It’s well-deserved and a privilege only a very small percentage of Springboks have achieved.” Regarding the changes to the team, Meyer said: “The players all knew what the plans were for the Rugby Championships and where they stand. We were always going to rotate players where possible and planned to start this Test with Adriaan and Fourie. “We know we’re in for a big challenge against Australia. The players have been working very hard and we’re looking forward to playing in front of our own supporters at DHL Newlands on Saturday – it’s always special to play Tests in South Africa,” added Meyer. Limited tickets are still available for Saturday. CLICK HERE to buy a ticket NOW! * This will be the Springboks’ 50th Test at DHL Newlands since 1891 – the first stadium in South Africa to host 50 Tests. In the previous 49 Tests, South Africa have won 33, lost 14 and drawn two for a winning percentage of 67%. The Springboks have scored 938 points (122 tries), with 593 points against them (63 tries) for an average (positive) score of 19-12.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 13:04:49 +0000
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