When will the Springboks announce their team for Rugby World Cup showdown with France?

When will the Springboks announce their team for Rugby World Cup showdown with France?

SA Rugby Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus admits the Springbok coaches are taking a different approach to announcing their team for this weekend's crunch Rugby World Cup quarter-final showdown with France.

In recent months, Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber have favoured announcing their team early in the week to get it out of the way and prepare the players for the challenge ahead.

However, with so much riding on the team selection for Sunday's must-win match, the coaches are changing their approach to consider every possible angle before they nail down their final 23.

Nienaber will announce his team on Friday evening as opposed to earlier in the week - a decision that has attracted a fair amount of media interest at the global spectacle.

"We've been mixing and matching for the last year to make sure we have players on par with one another in each position, so we'll keep our options open for a seven-one, six-two and five-three split," said Erasmus.

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"The coaches will sit Wednesday morning and confirm things, and then the players will slot in. The way the French team looks could also influence what selection we decide on.

"The one thing for certain is that we have the right bunch of players here.

"We're very fortunate, and that's why we haven't quite decided whether it's 7/1 or 6/2, which will go best," Erasmus said.

"After we sort out everything internally tomorrow the players just fall in."

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Erasmus also said he was proud of his team's disciplinary record heading into the quarter-final.

"We've had no cards in the competition so far and we are in fourth place on the penalty count list, so we are pleased with where we are in that regard," he said.

The Bok coaches will have some big decisions to make on Friday. Some of the major selection posers include who to pick at flyhalf - Manie Libbok or Handre Pollard - and whether to select Lukhanyo Am in the midfield following his recent return from injury.

Sunday's massive quarter-final clash kicks off at 9pm.

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