Friday 23 October 2015 15:28, UK
South Africa have named an unchanged starting team for their World Cup semi-final against New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday.
Forwards Lood de Jager and Bismarck du Plessis were injury doubts following the Springboks' 23-19 win over Wales in the quarter-finals but have been been given the all-clear.
The only change to the 23 is on the bench, where lock Victor Matfield has come in for Pieter-Steph du Toit after recovering from a hamstring injury.
The Springboks' starting line-up boasts 701 Test caps collectively, just one fewer than the most experienced starting line-up the All Blacks have ever faced in a World Cup match - the French side that ran them close in the 2011 final.
Head coach Heyneke Meyer is wary of the threat posed by New Zealand, who demolished France 62-13 in their quarter-final.
"This is probably the best team that's ever played the game," said Meyer of Steve Hansen's All Blacks.
"If you look at their run after the World Cup, they've just got better after the previous World Cup, and that doesn't happen in world rugby.
It will need our best performance probably ever to beat them, because they are the best team that there's ever been.
"It will need our best performance probably ever to beat them, because they are the best team that there's ever been.
"In saying that, you have to believe you can beat them."
Hooker Du Plessis is confident his hand problem will not cause him any issues at the weekend.
"It was quite funny when I wanted to look at my hand, Francois Louw put his hand over it and said, 'Please don't look'," he said of the injury unintentionally inflicted by his team-mate.
"We've been working quite hard on it and hopefully it will be 100 per cent on Saturday.
"We've been in the knockout phase from the get-go after our defeat to Japan.
"We've had that mindset all the way and we must take that mindset in with us again this week - we only have one chance."
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Fourie du Preez (c); 1 Tendai Mtawarira, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 3 Frans Malherbe, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Lood de Jager, 6 Francois Louw, 7 Schalk Burger , 8 Duane Vermeulen.
Replacements: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Jannie du Plessis, 19 Victor Matfield, 20 Willem Alberts, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Pat Lambie, 23 Jan Serfontein.
