South Africa have named their team to face Japan on Sunday with 13 changes predictably made sfollowing their rout against Canada.
The Springboks have reverted to the same starting XV and replacements that beat Italy in the pool stages.
It is the third time in 24 matches under Rassie Erasmus that South Africa have gone with a 6/2, forwards-to-backs ratio on the bench.
There have also been a few changes since the last time they played Japan back on September 6, with Tendai Mtawarira, Bongi Mbonambi and Lood de Jager coming in for Steven Kitshoff, Malcolm Marx and Franco Most ert.
The selection saw South Africa walk away with a glorious win of 41 – 7.
It was the game that saw Makazole Mapimpi score a hat-trick of tries, with Cheslin Kolbe scoring another two and Herschel Jantjies scoring another.
Mtawarira will make his 100 th start for South Africa.
Etzebeth and De Jager start together in the Springbok second row for the 20 th time, making them South Africa’s third most used partnership in the professional era behind Bakkies Botha / Victor Matfield (60) and Krynauw Otto / Mark Andrews (25).
Siya Kolisi, Du Toit and Duane Vermeulen are the starting back row for the eighth time since the beginning of 2018. Only Matera, Kremer and Desio (Argentina) have started together more in the same period.
Faf de Klerk and Pollard are the starting half-backs for the 14 th time.
Jamie Joseph makes one change from Scotland
Jamie Joseph has made one change to the team that started against Scotland , with Ryohei Yamanaka coming in at full-back to replace William Tupou, who drops out of the 23.
There are five changes to the Brave Blossoms side that lost to 41 – 7 to South Africa in a World Cup warm-up game.
Kotaro Matsushima, Shota Horie, Luke Thompson and Michael Leitch were also in the starting XV when Japan beat South Africa at RWC 2015. Keita Inagaki and Yu Tamura start, having been on the bench in Brighton. Fumiaki Tanaka and Amanaki Lelei Mafi are on the bench, as they were four years ago.
Fly-half Yu Tamura is the top scorer at RWC 2019 going into quarter-final weekend with 48 points, ahead of Felipe Berchesi URU, 30), Ireland’s Johnny Sexton and Richie Mo’unga of New Zealnd (both 26). He needs 11 points to beat Ayumu Goramaru’s Japan record of 58 (at RWC 2015).
Kotaro Matsushima is joint top try-scorer at Rugby World Cup 2019 with five, alongside Wales’ Josh Adams. His nine test tries in 2019 also puts him one ahead of Adams for the most this calendar year.
What’s the team news?
South Africa:Willie le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi, Handré Pollard, Faf de Klerk, Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (C), Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Tendai Mtawarira.
Reps:Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Franco Mostert, Francois Louw, Herschel Jantjies, Frans Steyn.
(Japan:) Ryohei Yamanaka, 14 Kotaro Matsushima, 13 Timothy Lafaele, 12 Ryoto Nakamura, 11 Kenki Fukuoka, 10 Yu Tamura , 9 Yutaka Nagare, 1 Keita Inagaki, 2 Shota Horie, 3 Jiwon Koo, 4 Luke Thompson, 5 James Moore, 6 Michael Leitch (capt), 7 Pieter Labuschagne, 8 Kazuki Himeno.
Replacements:Atsushi Sakate, Isileli Nakajima, Asaeli Ai Valu, Wimpie van der Walt, Amanaki Lelei Mafi, Fumiaki Tanaka, Rikiya Matsuda, Lomano Lava Lemeki.
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