Venter to lead SA 'A' against against the French Barbarians‚ Pollard on the bench

South Africa ‘A’ coach Johan Ackermann has named Bulls pivot Handré Pollard on the bench in a changed team for the final international match against the French Barbarians at Orlando Stadium on Friday night.

The wholesale changes will ensure that all the players in the squad get a run and Springbok coach Allister Coetzee's request for certain players to be given game-time will be accommodated.

Springbok midfielder Francois Venter has taken the armband from Juan de Jongh‚ who has dropped to the bench alongside Pollard‚ and only Lwazi Mvovo and Ruan Botha will keep their places from the team that won 36-28 in Durban last weekend.

Mvovo has been moved from fullback to wing where he will partner Blitzboks star Seabelo Senatla.

“I have the freedom to decide how long we need him (Pollard) to play‚" said Ackermann.

"We are also going to give Fred Zeilinga a fair opportunity to show what he can do because he was patient last week in Durban on the bench‚ where he only got 20 minutes.

"The whole idea from Springbok coach Allister Coetzee and SA Rugby is that we want to see where Handré Pollard is at the moment.

"He has been injured and this is about him getting on the field and testing himself against international opposition.

"I want to be fair to him but I can’t see him get much more than 20 minutes."

Ackermann said the decision to award Venter the captaincy was an easy one.

“Francois has led the Cheetahs very well in recent seasons and he brings international experience to the team‚" Ackermann said.

"He was also our vice-captain in 2016.

"So he’s got a good idea of what we would like to achieve on the field in this match.

"Francois is one of eight players in the team who have played Test rugby for South Africa.

“All the players in the squad have worked incredibly hard over the last two weeks and it’s just fair to give all of them a run against the French Barbarians.

"At the same time‚ the Springbok cause is very important with the rest of the season in mind.

"I spoke to Allister and I am glad we can assist him in giving game-time to certain players who are in his plans.”

Ackermann added that players who are not in the match-23 for the match will remain with the squad but will be released for SuperSport Rugby Challenge duty if their provinces request them.

South African ‘A’ Team:

15. Warrick Gelant‚ 14. Lwazi Mvovo‚ 13. Lionel Mapoe‚ 12. Francois Venter‚ 11. Seabelo Senatla‚ 10. Fred Zeilinga‚ 9. Dewaldt Duvenage‚ 8. Andisa Ntsila‚ 7. Sikhumbuzo Notshe‚ 6. Chris Cloete‚ 5. Ruan Botha‚ 4. Jason Jenkins‚ 3. Trevor Nyakane‚ 2. Ramone Samuels‚ 1. Ox Nche‚

Replacements:

16. Franco Marais‚ 17. Thomas du Toit‚ 18. Wilco Louw‚ 19. Uzair Cassiem‚ 20. Ruan Ackermann‚ 21. Jano Vermaak‚ 22. Handré Pollard‚ 23. Juan de Jongh.

- TimesLIVE