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There was a common expectation right after the England test that Heyneke Meyer will make wholesale changes to the starting line up to face Italy. Firstly he did select and secondly it has been a long and strenuous season for the Boks.
But instead the coach has opted for consistency and has preferred to mainly pick his strongest unit bar a couple of changes. I must say I can see the merit in this as the team does become more formidable and cohesive playing together more. There is also only 7 tests to go before the start of the rugby world cup.
The Italians will see the scrum as their main point of attack to get any sort of momentum in this test match. Their tighthead prop, Martin Castrogiovanni, is the strongest scrummer in world rugby today and Trevor Nyakane, his direct opponent, will have his hands full in his first start for the boks. The bok tighthead, Coenie Oosthuizen, will also want to show the world that not only Heyneke Meyer should have faith in his prowess as a no 3.
Another notable inclusion is Lambie at 10. Although I feel Pollard is a better 10 the positive aspect is the faith that Meyer is showing in Lambie as his main pivot in this stage. It will only give him more confidence to play his natural game. Reinach as his halfback partner will also thrive in what will be a less pressured situation than at Twickenham.
The boks will probably revert to a more expansive style of play if the weather does allow it and Johan Goosen in particular will want to show that Willie Le Roux is not the only fullback in the country that can set the world alight. I predict a bok victory by 30 points.
