The match is part of a double header at Twickenham with the Barbarians women’s team playing the Red Roses in a curtain raiser.

Louw is one 19 internationally capped players in the elite squad, while Schoeman is one of just four uncapped players.

Other well-known players who’ve been included are All Blacks Liam Messam, Steven Luatua, Malakai Fekitoa, Colin Slade and Charles Piutau, Wallabies James Horwill and Taqele Naiyaravoro and Argentina’s Facundo Isa.

‘We’ve got really good experience across the board and it’s great that there are nine different countries represented,’ said coach Pat Lam.

‘We’ve selected experience and size up front, exciting players who can make things happen from nothing, and we have some firepower out wide.’

‘We’re also delighted to have James Horwill on board – he’s had a tremendous career at the top of the game and to give him the opportunity to play his last professional game of rugby with us is pleasing.

‘This is a unique team with quality players and it will only play together this one time. So as per last year, I’ll be setting out to get our preparation right on and off the field to ensure we come together as brothers in a short amount of time to hopefully be a world class team on Sunday,’ he added.

Barbarians squad:

Forwards
Joe Marler (Harlequins & England)
Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh)
John Afoa (Bristol Bears & New Zealand)
Finlay Bealham (Connacht & Ireland)
David Heffernan (Connacht & Ireland)
Richard Hibbard (Dragons & Wales)
James Horwill (Harlequins & Australia)
Chris Vui (Bristol Bears & Samoa)
Steven Luatua (Bristol Bears & New Zealand)
Facundo Isa (Toulon & Argentina)
Liam Messam (Toulon & New Zealand)
Viliame Mata (Edinburgh & Fiji)
Francois Louw (Bath & South Africa)

Backs
Rhys Webb (Toulon & Wales)
Rhodri Williams (Dragons & Wales)
Colin Slade (Pau & New Zealand)
Brock James (Bordeaux Begles)
Mark Atkinson (Gloucester)
Malakai Fekitoa (Toulon & New Zealand)
Filipo Nakosi (Toulon)
Taqele Naiyaravoro (Northampton Saints & Australia)
Niyi Adeolokun (Connacht & Ireland)
Charles Piutau (Bristol Bears & New Zealand)

Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images

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Louw, who rejoined the squad from Bath earlier this week, comes in for Sikhumbuzo Notshe, who drops to the bench. Up front, Steven Kitshoff will start ahead of Beast Mtawarira at loosehead prop.

In the only change to the backline, Damian de Allende replaces André Esterhuizen, who falls out of the match 23.

More to follow …

Springboks – 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Francois Louw, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Subs: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Beast Mtawarira, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Damian Willemse.

SUPERBRU: Springboks or All Blacks?

Photo: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix

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Louw tore medial ligaments in the defeat to Sale Sharks on 23 December, and while he is set to be out of action for an extended period, the good news is that he won’t require an operation.

‘We’re looking at three months, so that’s on the serious side, but it won’t need surgery,’ Bath coach Todd Blackadder commented.

Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images

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Coach Allister Coetzee will have left close observers scratching their heads once again on Tuesday evening when it was confirmed that Raymond Rhule was one of three players to be released from the Bok camp.

While many might have expected Rhule to be dropped after his struggles in the Boks’ recent 57-0 thrashing at the hands of the All Blacks in Albany, his axing comes in contradiction to Coetzee’s comments on Monday when he came to the defence of the under-fire winger.

Nevertheless, Rhule’s departure opens up a berth on the right wing that will be filled by Leyds, who will make his first start for the Boks after featuring off the bench in all three Tests against France in June, albeit in a limited role.

Leyds was a star performer for the Stormers during Super Rugby this year, and while his strengths may lie on attack, it’s on defence that the Boks will be hoping that he can provide greater solidity out wide.

Cover on the wing this Saturday will again be provided by Jesse Kriel, with S’bu Nkosi having also been released for domestic duty after spending only a couple of days with the national side in an introductory capacity.

ALSO READ: Nkosi is one ‘for the future’ 

Besides the elevation of Leyds to the starting lineup, the only other change to the backline will come at scrumhalf, where Ross Cronjé is set to return after recovering from the illness that kept him out of the Boks’ clash against the All Blacks.

By and large, though, Coetzee is expected to opt for continuity over wholesale changes when the Bok side is named on Thursday afternoon.

However, the recall of Louw from English club Bath does suggest at least one change among the forwards, with the veteran flanker seen as more of a like-for-like replacement for the injured Jaco Kriel.

Louw had a limited role to play at Monday’s training session after only just jetting in to join the Boks, but Coetzee says he is fit, strong and ready for Test match rugby.

ALSO READ: Louw ‘ready’ for Test rugby

Should Louw be deployed in tandem with Siya Kolisi, it’s likely that Jean-Luc du Preez will revert to a role as an impact player off the bench, with Uzair Cassiem continuing at No 8.

And while the Boks have looked to manage the on-field workload of stalwarts Eben Etzebeth and Beast Mtawarira at the start of this week, they should have key roles to play in what is expected to be an unchanged tight five.

The Bok team will be named at 14:00 on Thursday.

Possible Springboks– 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Dillyn Leyds, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronjé, 8 Uzair Cassiem, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6, Francois Louw, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth (c), 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20 Jean-Luc du Preez, 21 Rudy Paige, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 Damian de Allende.

ALSO READ: Boks are hungry, motivated – Smith

Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

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A couple of hundred supporters braved a heavy wind in unpleasant weather conditions to watch the Springboks’ open training session at Shimla Park on Monday afternoon, with Louw also spending a fair portion of the session as a sideline observer.

As it is, Louw only joined up with the Boks on Monday morning after captaining his club side Bath in a narrow defeat to the Newcastle Falcons in the English Premiership this past weekend.

At 32 years old, Louw’s inclusion is not necessarily in keeping with one of the Boks’ foremost selection criteria to consider players with a long-term plan in mind, but he remains a player who coach Allister Coetzee believes can still add immense value to a largely inexperienced side.

Louw started in as many as nine Tests last year, and now makes a return to a Bok squad that has seen its loose-forward stocks depleted through injuries to experienced personnel such as Duane Vermeulen, Warren Whiteley and Kriel, while Marcell Coetzee does not meet the 30-cap eligibility rule for overseas-based players.

With Kriel only set to return to action next year after undergoing shoulder surgery, there may have been calls to rather include an openside flanker such as Kwagga Smith or Chris Cloete, but Coetzee insists Louw is still the man for the job at this time.

‘Francois is fully fit, he’s come through a magnificent pre-season and he’s stronger than ever before. He’s had a few really good games for Bath, and he’s playing really well.

‘He is ready to play Test match rugby, and I have no doubt that without Jaco Kriel here, he is the sort of player who can add value to our turnaround strategy for the last two games [of the Rugby Championship].

‘He brings what we may be lacking in the absence of Jaco,’ Coetzee added. ‘He plays towards the ball and will ensure we contest on the ground, and can prevent teams from feeding off quick ball. Francois is also a leader, and he’s been here and done it before.’

ALSO READ: ‘Ruan must keep performing’

In an interview with the Bath Chronicle prior to his call-up last week, Louw admitted he may be ‘torn’ between club and country, but reiterated that it would always remain a ‘huge honour’ to represent the Springboks.

Coetzee said he certainly had no doubts about Louw’s enduring commitment to the national cause.

‘He’s one of those players who really wants to play for South Africa. He’s the type of guy who will phone [to chat] after a Test, and he’s excited about the new culture in the team.

‘He finds out about those small things that are really important, and it’s good to see where the loyalties lie for overseas-based players. I can say without any fear that he still wants to be a Springbok.’

However, considering Louw has only just joined up with the Boks for the first time this year, it may be a big ask for him to come straight into the starting lineup for Saturday’s penultimate Rugby Championship clash against Australia.

Yet this consideration will be juxtaposed against the fact that Louw has never really been regarded as an archetypal impact player suited to a bench role. In fact, just five of his 52 Tests have come as a substitute.

It leaves Coetzee with an interesting decision to make ahead of this weekend’s crucial encounter, with Siya Kolisi, Jean-Luc du Preez and Uzair Cassiem having primarily run in the back-row formation at Monday’s training session.

The rest of the squad has been declared fit and ready for action, although Beast Mtawarira also took a limited part in the contact aspects of Monday’s training. However, this was said to simply be part of his player management plan.

The Bok team to face the Wallabies will be named at 14:00 on Thursday.

ALSO READ: Bok coach backs remorseful Rhule

Photo: Kim Ludbrook/BackpagePix

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