The Springboks have named a host of World Cup and Lions series winners to take on the star-studded global invitational outfit at Newlands in Cape Town as they step up their preparations for the games against Warren Gatland’s tourists in Durban and Nelspruit on June 14 and 21.
Veteran second rows Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha start alongside each other for the first time in three years, with Matfield named as captain for his first Test since coming out of retirement earlier this year. The pair are the world’s most-capped lock partnership; can boast 188 international caps; and have both won a World Cup, a Lions series, two Tri Nations titles, a hat-trick of Super Rugby championships and the same number of Currie Cups.
Botha has headed home on the back of Heineken Cup glory in Cardiff with Toulon, while wing Bryan Habana also tasted glory at the Millennium Stadium a week-and-a-half ago.
Ulster’s Ruan Pienaar links up with Stade Francais’ Morne Steyn at halfback, with Frans Steyn overcoming a knee problem to start alongside the even more experienced JP Pietersen in midfield, with the latter drafted in from the wing due to the absence of the injured Jean de Villiers.
Willie le Roux will be looking to continue the kind of form that saw him shine on last year’s northern hemisphere tour after he was named at full back and Sevens star Cornal Hendricks is handed his Test debut on the right wing.
Head coach Heyneke Meyer has named a huge pack, with Willem Alberts, Duane Vermeulen and Bath’s Francois Louw keeping their places in the back row and Tendai Mtawarira and du Plessis brothers, Bismarck and Jannie, given the nod yet again in the front row.
“We’re expecting a stern test on Saturday against the World XV and our mindset is to make our nation proud – it should never be anything else when the Springboks play,” said Meyer. “It will also be a good way to start the season before our first Test next week against Wales, but for now we’re only focused on the World XV and playing well.
“If anyone told me two years ago that Victor and Bakkies would play together again for the Boks, I probably wouldn’t have believed it. They have been great servants of the game in South Africa and now have the opportunity to take it further.
“Even though we’ll be starting with a new midfield combination, Frans and JP have both played more than 50 Tests for the Boks and with Bryan Habana also in the backline, Cornal will start with a lot of experience around him.
“Cornal is a player I’ve been following for some time and I thought he made a very good transition from sevens to the 15-man code earlier this year. He’s big and very fast, and hopefully we’ll be able to provide him with some space to attack in.”
Schalk Burger is named among the replacements after a lengthy absence through injury and illness. The 2011 South African Rugby Player of the Year missed all of 2012 with a knee injury and then suffered a calf strain in pre-season last year. The latter was linked to a cyst in his back and his bad luck continued when he contracted bacterial meningitis.
Saracens hooker Schalk Brits is also selected in the matchday 23, as is World Cup winning scrum half Fourie du Preez.
“This was a tough team selection to make and a couple of players were unlucky to miss out, but I know all of them will keep on pressing hard for selection in the weeks to come. It’s positive to have this kind of continuity in our first start of the year,” added Meyer.
“I always like it if players in the team must make it easy for me to leave them in, and players outside the team must make it difficult to leave them out. Our aim for the season is to accelerate and make a step up from 2013. To put ourselves in a position to do that, we simply have to start well.”
South Africa (v World XV, Saturday, 4pm BST): Willie le Roux, Cornal Hendricks, JP Pietersen, Francois Steyn, Bryan Habana, Morne Steyn, Ruan Pienaar; Duane Vermeulen, Willem Alberts, Francois Louw, Victor Matfield (capt), Bakkies Botha, Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: Schalk Brits, Gurthro Steenkamp, Coenie Oosthuizen, Flip van der Merwe, Schalk Burger, Fourie du Preez, Johan Goosen, Lwazi Mvovo
