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Springboks pick Libbok at 10 to face England

Libbok has scored 145 points in 28 previous caps for South Africa PIC: GETTY IMAGES
Libbok has scored 145 points in 28 previous caps for South Africa PIC: GETTY IMAGES

Manie Libbok will start in place of the injured Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at fly-half for South Africa against England after the Springboks named their team more than five days before Saturday's kick-off. Libbok sees off competition from Handre Pollard, who started the Boks' Rugby World Cup final wins in 2019 and 2023, to take the 10 shirt in a formidable side.

Libbok's inclusion is one of four changes to the South Africa side that beat Ireland 24-13 in November in their most recent full-strength run-out.

Grant Williams comes in at scrum-half, while Kurt-Lee Arendse, another dangerous runner, is back on the wing. Ox Nche is at loosehead with Malcolm Marx and Thomas du Toit, who is on his way to the Sharks from Bath this summer, completing the front row. Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit are also part of an experienced pack. While coach Rassie Erasmus has named a more conventional set of replacements, with five specialist forwards rather than the seven he has experimented with in the past, former Harlequins centre Andre Esterhuizen has been deployed as a flanker off the bench in the past. Cheslin Kolbe and Damian Willemse will both win their 50th caps as part of the starting line-up.

Editor's Comment
Let the courts follow the money

“Law and order are the medicine of the body politic and when the body politic gets sick, medicine must be administered.”– B.R. AmbedkarThe amount of money at play threatens to test the integrity of the country’s financial system, giving more reason to why the courts must be fully given leeway to lean on the matter and reach a conclusion.Botswana has spent decades building her reputation as a stable and credible financial jurisdiction.The...

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