Lancaster will blood two new faces against the Springboks - Rugby News Update
England boss Stuart Lancaster has named two new faces in the starting XV for the England side on Saturday to face the Springboks.
Harlequins' Joe Marler and Exeter Chiefs' back-row forward, Tom Johnson, will be given their first caps against South Africa at King’s Park at the weekend.
Marler proved his worth in the Aviva Premiership final when he led the Harlequins to another Premiership title. He not only coped well in the set pieces but also had enough gas in his tank to contribute in the loose which is a key factor of his game.
Lancaster was tempted to give Marler a chance even though the reliable Alex Corbisiero had done a stunning job as the loosehead in the Six Nations tournament. Nevertheless the prop has not been on the pitch since he suffered a bicep injury at the end of
April and was forced to sit out of the training sessions due to a jarred knee.
Injuries have played vital role in the England boss’ selection; the absence of Tom Croft, Tom Wood and Courtney laws has left a gap in the flanker position. Tom Johnson will get the first chance in that position to fill the void. His two impressive seasons
for Exeter convinced the England coach that the player deserves a chance in the international squad. The 29-year-old will be the first player to be capped from Exeter since Martin Underwood, almost 50 years ago.
Lancaster explained that Johnson was the stand-out performer against the Barbarians in England’s victory a couple of weeks ago which caught the eye of the England boss who chose him over Phil Dowson for the No.6 jersey.
The England boss affirmed that they had a general outlook long before the formal announcement was made about the Springboks’ side. He confirmed that he had good idea about who was going to face them and the kind of style of play the Springboks would adopt.
The extremely talented newcomer, Eben Etzebeth, during the training session, was practicing with Juandre Kruger and will be forming a partnership for the first time in the opening Test. Despite his inexperience, Etzebeth is known as the successor of former
Boks' enforcer, Bakkies Botha.
“He’s big, physical and doesn’t shy away from contact,” said Springbok head coach Heyneke Meyer.
“What the youngsters lack in experience they make up for with energy and hunger,” He continued.
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