Rugby World Cup 2015: South Africa vs. Scotland preview

South Africa will look to re-assert their status as the dominant team in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, or RWC, when they take on Scotland in their Pool B clash on Saturday at St James' Park. A win in Newcastle would put South Africa in the driver’s seat for a quarterfinal spot in the RWC.

The Springboks has restored a measure of pride after trumping Samoa 46-6 at the weekend. However, another potential slip could happen when Heyneke Meyer’s side faces Scotland, which cruised past U.S.A. for a 39-16 victory.

South Africa has made some significant changes ahead of their RWC fixture against the Scots. Meyer introduced Fourie du Preez as the Springboks’ new captain, replacing Jean de Villiers, who retired from the Rugby World Cup after breaking his jaw against Samoa. Meyer also injected some fresh legs in his lineup, adding Eben Etzebeth, Lodewyk de Jager and Jess Kriel, who are all playing in their early 20s.

“We don’t look past Saturday but I really feel we’re going to have a great performance,” Meyer said, as quoted in the Rugby World’s official website. “This team can go far because so many of these guys who hadn’t played are hitting form, and they’re dangerous players if they hit form.”

Scotland is now on top of the Pool B standings with two wins and three points clear of South Africa after getting maximum points from victories against Japan and the United States. Scotland twice overcame shaky starts at the tournament and managed to finish the game in strong fashion.

Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw understands the huge task of facing the Springboks, with recent history pointing to South Africa as firm favourite, as it has won four of their past five meetings. "It's going to be a hugely physical contest, a tough game," Laidlaw told The Star. "They blew a physical Samoan team off the park. We understand how tough the challenge is but it's one we’re ready to take."

A defeat against South Africa on Saturday would not be the end of Scotland’s RWC quarterfinal hopes as they are up to face Samoa next. However, the Pacific Islanders would be still be a tough opponent, as they have been notable top-tier scalps in the past and could still be in the hunt for a slot in the last eight round.

Here is South Africa's and Scotland's lineup courtesy of The Star:

South Africa: 1-Tendai Mtawarira, 2-Bismarck du Plessis, 3-Jannie du Plessis, 4-Eben Etzebeth, 5-Lodewyk de Jager, 6-Francois Louw, 7-Schalk Burger, 8-Duane Vermeulen, 9-Fourie du Preez (captain), 10-Handre Pollard, 11-Bryan Habana, 12-Damian de Allende, 13-Jesse Kriel, 14-JP Pietersen, 15-Willie Le Roux Replacements: 16-Adriaan Strauss, 17-Trevor Nyakane, 18-Frans Malherbe, 19-Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20-Willem Alberts, 21-Ruan Pienaar, 22-Pat Lambie, 23-Jan Serfontein

Scotland: 1-Gordon Reid, 2-Fraser Brown, 3-Willem Nel, 4-Richie Gray, 5-Jonny Gray, 6-Josh Strauss, 7-Blair Cowan, 8-David Denton; 9-Greig Laidlaw (captain), 10-Duncan Weir, 11-Tim Visser, 12-Matt Scott, 13-Richie Vernon, 14-Tommy Seymour, 15-Stuart Hogg Replacements: 16-Ross Ford, 17-Alasdair Dickinson, 18-Jon Welsh, 19-Tim Swinson, 20-Ryan Wilson, 21-Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22-Peter Horne, 23-Sean Lamont

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