Familiar faces, fresh legs and new captain
Coetzee turns to form players for shot at redemption in June Test series against France
Springbok coach Allister Coetzee hit the reset button on Tuesday, when he named 31 players for June’s three-Test series against France. He had hoped his second year in charge would be one of consolidation in the lead-up to a World Cup. But through a combination of reasons, the squad he assembled for France excluded several players who started the journey with him at the corresponding stage in 2016. Crucially‚ he will go into the international season with a new captain in Warren Whiteley after Adriaan Strauss stepped away from the international limelight. Whiteley‚ the Lions’ captain‚ assumes a role Bok fans had better hope he still occupies by the time the next World Cup comes around. Apart from Strauss‚ the other men missing from the match 23 Coetzee started with against Ireland at Newlands in 2016 are Pat Lambie‚ who is concussed‚ Julian Redelinghuys‚ whose career is on hold due to a neck injury‚ while the overseas-based Willie le Roux and JP Pietersen are out of favour‚ as is Eng...
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