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Bok coach Nienaber full of praise for ‘fantastic’ Malherbe as he approaches his 50th Test match

Mahlatse Mphahlele Sports reporter
Prop Frans Malherbe will play his 50th Test match for the Springboks against New Zealand at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Prop Frans Malherbe will play his 50th Test match for the Springboks against New Zealand at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Image: Dirk Kotze/Gallo Images

As he approaches a significant personal milestone of 50 Test caps, Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber has lauded tighthead prop Frans Malherbe as a player with fantastic work ethic.

Malherbe, who will be part of the new-look front row of Bongi Mbonambi and Ox Nche, follows hooker Malcolm Marx who celebrated his half century last weekend in Mbombela.

During the 26-10 win over the All Blacks last week, Malherbe started in the front row with Marx and Trevor Nyakane, but coach Nienaber has made five changes with Mbonambi and Nche in the starting line-up for the match at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Before the clash against New Zealand in Mbombela, towering lock Eben Etzebeth celebrated his 100th match during the third and final Test against Wales in front of his home crowd in Cape Town.

“We are very proud of Frans, and it is up to the team to make it a memorable occasion for him by giving their all to register a victory. Frans’s work ethic is fantastic and though he is quiet off the field, he certainly makes his presence felt on the field.”

Nienaber expects a fightback from the All Blacks who suffered their second biggest defeat to the Springboks last week (16 points — one less than their biggest ever defeat of 17 points).

“New Zealand are similar to the Springboks in the sense that they do not give up. They fought until the end against us at the Mbombela Stadium last week and we expect nothing less from them on Saturday.

“They have quality players and given the rich history between the sides in Johannesburg and their desperation to turn things around after a few disappointing results, we know we are in for a massive challenge this weekend.

“Our focus, however, is on improving our game and ensuring that we build on our form from last week. We had an honest assessment of our performance last week and while there were several positives, there are areas that we need to make a step-up in.

“It will be vital to get that right before we travel to Australia and Argentina for the away leg of the tournament, so this is a vital match for us.”

 Springbok Team

15. Damian Willemse, 14. Jesse Kriel, 13. Lukhanyo Am, 12. Damian de Allende,
11. Makazole Mapimpi, 10. Handré Pollard, 9. Jaden Hendrikse, 8. Duane Vermeulen,
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6. Siya Kolisi, 5. Lood de Jager, 4. Eben Etzebeth,
3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Bongi Mbonambi, 1. Ox Nche,

Replacements: 16. Malcolm Marx, 17. Steven Kitshoff, 18. Vincent Koch, 19. Franco Mostert, 20. Jasper Wiese, 21. Kwagga Smith, 22. Hershel Jantjies, 23. Willie le Roux

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