South Africa Name World Cup Roster

Veteran Springbok center Jean de Villiers will lead South Africa at the Rugby World Cup it was confirmed today. He is to be joined by Bryan Habana and Victor Matfield as players to have earned 100 or more caps.

Head Coach Heyneke Meyer has opted for 17 forwards and 14 backs with the quota opf non-white players having factored into considerations. An instance being the inclusion of Rudy Paige ahead of Cobus Reinach. Paige is one of three scrumhalves joining veterans Fourie du Preez and Ruan Pienaar.

Paige is the only uncapped player among the 31-man squad and joins Tendai Mtawarira, Trevor Nyakane, Siya Kolisi, Damian de Allende, Bryan Habana, Zane Kirchner, Lwazi Mvovo and JP Pietersen to give South Africa nine non-white players on the roster of 31.

Of those who will travel to England there are players who play in a variety of countries including England, France, Ireland, Japan and Northern Ireland. South Africa’s first match will be against Japan which may see Fourie du Preez facing familiar names.

Joining South Africa in Japan in Pool B are Samoa, Scotland and the USA.

South Africa
Forwards
Schalk Brits (Saracens), Bismarck du Plessis (Montpellier), Adriaan Strauss (Bulls), Jannie du Plessis (Montpellier), Frans Malherbe (Stormers), Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks), Trevor Nyakane (Bulls), Coenie Oosthuizen (Cheetahs), Lood de Jager (Cheetahs), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Sharks), Eben Etzebeth (Stormers), Victor Matfield (Bulls), Willem Alberts (Paris), Schalk Burger (Stormers), Siya Kolisi (Stormers), Francois Louw (Bath), Duane Vermeulen (Toulon)

Backs
Fourie du Preez (Suntory Sungoliath), Rudy Paige (Bulls), Ruan Pienaar (Ulster), Pat Lambie (Sharks), Handrè Pollard (Bulls), Morné Steyn (Paris), Jean de Villiers (Stormers), Damian de Allende (Stormers), Jesse Kriel (Bulls), Bryan Habana (Toulon), Zane Kirchner (Leinster), Willie le Roux (Cheetahs), Lwazi Mvovo (Sharks), JP Pietersen (Sharks)