Surprise selections in Springbok side for quarter-final against FranceSouth Africa have named a surprise half-back pairing of Manie Libbok and Cobus Reinach and only five forwards on the bench for Sunday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against hosts France. Coach Jacques Nienaber had several selection conundrums ahead of the game at the Stade de France, with the most anticipated being the choice of flyhalf. In naming his side on Friday, Nienaber gave the nod to Libbok despite misgivings about his kicking ability. Reinach comes in for Faf de Klerk at scrumhalf, with Nienaber saying he was better suited to dealing with the French kicking game. "We selected the team that we think will give us the best opportunity to win the game on Sunday," the coach said.

Source: Irish Independent October 13, 2023 23:19 UTC