Boks revamp team for final Test

Third Test - South Africa v British and Irish Lions
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg Date: Saturday 4 July Start: 1400 BST
Coverage: Live on Sky Sports, 5 Live and live text commentary on the BBC Sport website

South Africa have made 10 changes to their team for Saturday's third and final Test against the British and Irish Lions in Johannesburg.

Only scrum-half Fourie du Preez, flanker Juan Smith, lock Victor Matfield and props Tendai Mtawarira and John Smit keep their places.

Lock Johann Muller and flanker Heinrich Brussow replace suspended duo Bakkies Botha and Schalk Burger.

South Africa have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

With the Springboks already guaranteed victory over the Lions, coach Peter de Villiers has decided to rotate his first team with the Tri-Nations starting on 25 July against New Zealand.

Fly-half Morne Steyn, who kicked the winning penalty in the thrilling 28-25 second Test win in Pretoria last weekend, wins his first start after taking the 10 shirt from Ruan Pienaar.

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Jaque Fourie comes in at outside centre following his try-scoring appearance from the bench in the second Test, and he teams up with Wynand Olivier in midfield.

Bulls full-back Zane Kirchner will make his debut in the number 15 jersey while Odwa Ndungane and Jongi Nokwe replace JP Pietersen and Bryan Habana on the wings.

"The Lions will have their hands full playing against the backline we have chosen," said De Villiers.

"I hope Wynand Olivier and Jaque Fourie can create the space we need because then the Lions will know Jongi Nokwe's number. He gives me goosebumps and if you blink you don't see him."

In the pack, Chiliboy Ralepelle takes over at hooker and Ryan Kankowski scrums down at number eight.

"The Lions will come at us with fearless drives and we need to have some beef there if we are going to get good ball for the backs," De Villiers said.

"We had negative media from Britain in 1974 and 1980 and now I've allowed it again in 2009"

Botha was ruled out of the match after he lost his appeal against a two-ban for a dangerous charge on Lions prop Adam Jones during the second Test.

Burger has been banned for eight weeks for eye-gouging Lions wing Luke Fitzgerald in the first minute of the same match.

The incident has dominated the aftermath of the game, with the Lions angered by De Villiers making a defence of Burger's eye-gouging.

De Villiers has since apologised but has continued to insist the flanker did nothing wrong.

He ended the news conference by criticising British and Irish media over their coverage of the Burger incident.

"We had negative media from Britain in 1974 and 1980 and now I've allowed it again in 2009," he said.

"I've learnt that if they can't win on the field then they will try to win anywhere else they can."

South Africa: Kirchner (Bulls); Ndungane (Sharks), Fourie (Lions), Olivier (Bulls), Nokwe (Cheetahs); M Steyn (Bulls), Du Preez (Bulls); Mtawarira (Sharks), Ralepelle (Bulls), Smit (Sharks), Muller (Sharks), Matfield (Bulls), Brussow (Cheetahs), Smith (Cheetahs), Kankowski (Sharks).
Replacements: B du Plessis (Sharks), Steenkamp (Bulls), Carstens (Sharks), Sykes (Sharks), Spies (Bulls), R Pienaar (Sharks), F Steyn (Sharks).

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Blog: Turning a blind eye to Burger?
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