South Africa v Scotland: Port Elizabeth Test match preview

Handre Pollard: Will appear for the first time in senior Springboks side

Adam Ashe: Will make debut for Scotland against South Africa

Scotland will look to end their summer tour unbeaten when they face South Africa at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

Vern Cotter’s side have already earned overseas victories against the USA, Canada and Argentina in June but face a much sterner test against the two-time world champions.

Scotland have used the tour as an opportunity to blood some of their more younger players and it is another inexperienced line-up that will take to the field at the weekend.

Cotter has made four changes to the side which edged past the Pumas, with Glasgow forward Adam Ashe being handed a debut for his country at No 8.

The other three alterations see Henry Pyrgos start instead of Grayson Hart at scrum-half, Tim Swinson replacs Jonny Gray at lock and Chris Fusaro come in for Blair Cowan at openside flanker.

Defeats

Scotland played South Africa twice in 2013, pushing the Springboks all the way in a creditable 30-17 defeat in Nelspruit last summer before suffering a 28-0 loss on home soil in November.

South Africa have handed a debut to IRB Junior Player of the Year Handre Pollard, who is one of five uncapped players in Heyneke Meyer’s match-day squad.

The other four potential debutants are on the bench – prop Marcel van der Merwe, lock Stephan Lewies, loose-forward Teboho Mohoje and fly-half Marnitz Boshoff.

South Africa, who completed a two-match sweep in their series with Wales with a last-gasp 31-30 victory last time out, have made five other changes to their starting XV.

Wing Lwazi Mvovo, flank Schalk Burger, lock Lood de Jager and prop Coenie Oosthuizen all return to the team.

Tendai Mtawarira (neck), Flip van der Merwe (knee) Willem Alberts (concussion) and Johan Goosen (knee) missed out due to injury.

South Africa: 15 Le Roux, 14 Hendricks, 13 Pietersen, 12 Serfontein, 11 Mvovo, 10 Pollard, 9 du Preez, 1 Oosthuizen, 2 B du Plessis, 3 J du Plessis, 4 de Jager, 5 Matfield (capt), 6 Coetzee, 7 Burger, 8 Vermeulen

Replacements: 16 Strauss, 17 Nyakane, 18 van der Merwe, 19 Lewies, 20 Mohoje, 21 Hougaard, 22 Boshoff, 23 Kirchner.

Scotland: 15 Hogg, 14 Maitland, 13 De Luca, 12 Horne, 11 Seymour, 10 Weir, 9Pyrgos; 1 Dickinson, 2 Ford, 3 Cross, 4 Swinson, 5 Gilchrist (capt), 6 Harley, 7 Fusaro, 8 Ashe.

Replacements: 16 Bryce, 17 Low, 18 Murray, 19 Gray, 20 Holmes, 21 Hart, 22 Fife, 23 Murchie

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Article source: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/may/13/new-zealand-all-blacks-rugby-match-usa

South Africa v Scotland: Port Elizabeth Test match preview