The penultimate match on the opening weekend of the 2023 Rugby World Cup will come from Pool B, with South Africa squaring off against Scotland at Stade Velodrome on Sunday evening.
South Africa will come into this match in fantastic spirits, having beaten New Zealand 35-7 two weeks ago at Twickenham, while Scotland secured a 33-6 victory over Georgia the following day.
Match preview
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The defending world champions seem to be finding top gear at just the right time and looked every bit title contenders in their warm-up campaign, where they handed heavy defeats to the All Blacks and Wales.
South Africa were runners-up at the 2023 Rugby Championship and came under scrutiny in the immediate aftermath of that competition as their split-squad strategy seemed to create more questions than answers regarding their best team.
However, since then, those questions have quickly dimmed as Jacques Nienaber's side have proven their depth and quality in the last month while also pushing the boundaries of conventional rugby team selection.
In their win over New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium, the Springboks opted for a 7-1 split on the bench, and while the 'Bomb Squad' created divided opinion among onlookers, it is fair to say that it works a treat as the Bok pack bullied their opponents for a large chunk of the match.
The task for South Africa now is to ensure that they do not get too carried away with their recent strong performances after a couple of years of inconsistency, especially in a group that features two other top five nations.
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While the Springboks have reason for optimism, Scotland have assembled possibly one of the best sides they have ever fielded, and many believe that they have a very realistic chance of going deep in this year's competition.
The Scots secured the Calcutta Cup at the start of the Six Nations tournament earlier this year and went on to finish the tournament in third place, behind Ireland and France, while overtaking England from the previous year's standings.
They maintained their strong performance in the recent warm-up matches, where they defeated Italy and, more notably, France at Murrayfield before losing to Les Bleus the following week back in Saint-Etienne.
Yet, despite the evident improvement Gregor Townsend's side have made, they still come into the pool as the third-favourite, behind their opponents and the world's number-one team, Ireland.
Adding to that narrative is the fact that in their last 10 encounters against the Irish and the Springboks, Scotland have only managed one winning result against each.
South Africa form (all competitions):
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
Scotland form (all competitions):
- L
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
Team News
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Maintaining their recent trend, Nienaber wasted no time in announcing the team that will face Scotland in this encounter, and one of the major talking points was the inclusion of Damian Willemse in place of the dependable Willie le Roux at fullback.
Canan Moodie had an excellent match last time out in midfield but makes way for the experienced Jesse Kriel, who will partner Damian de Allende in the centre of the park.
Siya Kolisi will captain the Springboks from the second row, while Franco Mostert and Jasper Wiese received the nod above RG Snyman and Duane Vermeulen respectively.
For the Scots, Darcy Graham has been cleared fit to play after missing the last match, and Zander Fagerson is also back in the team, having served his suspension for the red card he received against France.
Jamie Ritchie will captain the side and will line up alongside Rory Darge in the back row, while Jack Dempsey will continue at number eight with Matt Fagerson as cover on the bench.
The subs bench also features Ali Price, Cameron Redpath and Ollie Smith, which means that Kyle Steyn will have to settle for a watching brief in this one.
South Africa starting lineup: 15. Damian Willemse, 14. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13. Jesse Kriel, 12. Damian de Allende, 11. Cheslin Kolbe, 10. Manie Libbok, 9. Faf de Klerk, 8. Jasper Wiese, 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6. Siya Kolisi (c), 5. Franco Mostert, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Malcolm Marx, 1. Steven Kitshoff
Replacements: 16. Bongi Mbonambi, 17. Ox Nche, 18. Trevor Nyakane, 19. RG Snyman, 20. Marco van Staden, 21. Duane Vermeulen, 22. Grant Williams, 23. Willie le Roux
Scotland starting lineup: 15. Blair Kinghorn, 14. Darcy Graham, 13. Huw Jones, 12. Sione Tuipulotu, 11. Duhan van der Merwe, 10. Finn Russell, 9. Ben White, 8. Jack Dempsey, 7. Rory Darge, 6. Jamie Ritchie (c), 5. Grant Gilchrist, 4. Richie Gray, 3. Zander Fagerson, 2. George Turner, 1. Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16. Dave Cherry, 17. Jamie Bhatti, 18. WP Nel, 19. Scott Cummings, 20. Matt Fagerson, 21. Ali Price, 22. Cameron Redpath, 23. Ollie Smith
Head To Head
Since 1906, South Africa and Scotland have engaged in 28 matches recorded as of November 2021. Their initial encounter took place on 17 November 1906, resulting in a 6-0 victory for Scotland, while their most recent clash occurred on 13 November 2021, ending with a 30-15 triumph for South Africa.
Of the 28 encounters, South Africa has emerged victorious in the majority, securing 23 wins. Additionally, South Africa and Scotland have crossed paths twice in the World Cup: first in 1999, where South Africa emerged victorious with a score of 46-29 in Edinburgh, and then again in 2015, with South Africa winning 34-16 in Newcastle.
We say: South Africa 34-19 Scotland
What we have here is two sides that are on an upward trajectory and in a pool where every result counts. This should be a high-quality match between two very good teams, but we fancy the Springboks to come out on top.
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Devesh Jaganath
