South Africa 'focused' on Romania despite injuries

Siya Kolisi (left), Eben Etzebeth (centre-left) and Cheslin Kolbe (centre) were in the stands for Samoa's win over Chile

South Africa are "fully focused" on Romania despite injuries to key players, says coach Jacques Nienaber.

Lock Eben Etzebeth also suffered a knock and misses the meeting in Bordeaux on Sunday, but Nienaber says injuries have not affected his side.

"When the injury happened it didn't affect our team going into this match, at all," Nienaber said of Marx.

"We're fully focused on Romania because we should show them that respect. It's only the second time we've played them in a World Cup so it's a special game for us.

"We should also show that respect to the players that we selected to play in that match.

"So we're not talking about anything other than Romania."

Etzebeth should be fit in time to return to face the world's number one side Ireland on 23 September.

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Nienaber has made wholesale changes to face the 19th-ranked side, who were beaten 82-8 by Ireland in their opening fixture - but insists that is not disrespectful to Romania.

He has named four scrum-halves in his matchday squad with Grant Williams on the wing and Faf de Klerk covering fly-half on the bench.

Number 10 Manie Libbok has been rested, so Damian Willemse starts.

"I'm not being disrespectful to Romania but it's an opportunity to try him out in a Test match under pressure at 10," Nienaber said of Willemse.

"He's trained there for us numerous times. We've said Faf is our third-choice fly-half but this is a nice opportunity to give him a run at 10, controlling the game at 10 at Test-match level."

South Africa XV: Le Roux, Williams, Moodie, Esterhuizen, Mapimpi, Willemse, Reinach; Nche, Mbonambi, Koch, Kleyn, Orie, van Staden, Smith, Vermeulen

Replacements: Fourie, Kitshoff, Nyakane, Snyman, Wiese, Hendrikse, de Klerk, Kriel

Romania XV: Simionescu, Manumua, Tomane, Gontineac, Onutu, Vaovasa, Rupanu; Hartig, Cojocaru, Gordas, Motoc, Iftimiciuc, Gorin, Neculau, Chirica

Replacements: Irimescu, Savin, Cretu, Iancu, Stratila, Boboc, Conache, Pop

Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)

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