Rugby: Another step up in Bok's fairytale

NZ Herald

25 Sep, 2014 05:00 PM2 mins to read

Teboho Mohoje impressed against Scotland, and will have his first start against Australia. Photo / Getty Images

Teboho Mohoje will continue a fairytale first senior season by making his run-on debut for South Africa in the Rugby Championship against Australia.

The 24-year-old blindside flanker replaces injured Francois Louw in one of two changes to the team that started in a 14-10 loss to New Zealand this month.

In another injury-enforced change, halfback Francois Hougaard takes over from Ruan Pienaar for the game at Cape Town.

There are four bench alterations, Schalk Burger, Bakkies Botha, Cobus Reinach and JP Pietersen coming in for Warren Whiteley, Lood de Jager, Hougaard and Damian de Allende.

Mohoje will make his first start for the Springboks after coming on as a replacement during a mid-year rout of Scotland in Port Elizabeth.

Despite impressing then, he did not get any game-time in the four previous championship matches this season, against Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.

The big ball-carrier was unknown when the South African season started last February, but he was called up by injury-ravaged Super 15 franchise the Cheetahs.

His lineout, tight and loose play caught the eye of Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer, and he has been part of the national squad since June.

A black African, Mohoje gets his chance at a time of increased government pressure on rugby to field teams more representative of the South African population.

Although 80 per cent of South Africans are black Africans, prop Tendai Mtawarira has been their lone representative in many Springbok starting line-ups.

While wings Cornal Hendricks and Bryan Habana are called blacks abroad, in South Africa they are "coloureds".

South Africa: Willie le Roux; Cornal Hendricks, Jan Serfontein, Jean de Villiers (capt), Bryan Habana; Handre Pollard, Francois Hougaard; Duane Vermeulen, Teboho Mohoje, Marcell Coetzee; Victor Matfield, Eben Etzebeth; Jannie du Plessis, Adriaan Strauss, Tendai Mtawarira.