The promising midfielder was lured from the Stormers in late 2011 and is expected to be the Bulls’ first choice No 13 for their Super Rugby campaign. Sadie partners SA U20 inside centre Francois Venter.

There are also starts for Springboks Morné Steyn, Francois Hougaard and Chiliboy Ralepelle, who will captain the side in the absence of Pierre Spies (calf). The starting XV includes 11 Springboks in total.

‘We are keen to see where we are at this stage of the season. The Cheetahs have had some game under the belt and will be a difficult opponent, just what we need now,’ coach Frans Ludeke said of his team’s last pre-season match before their opener against the Sharks on 24 February.

Bulls – 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle (c), 1 Dean Greyling.
Subs: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 JJ Engelbrecht.

The Southern Kings have already played two of their five warm-up games against the other Super Rugby franchises. A SWD-Border dominated team lost 33-20 to the Cheetahs in East London while the Bulls picked up a 16-12 win in Polokwane. The Kings will now meet the Stormers in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, which head coach Solomons believes will be one of two tough warm-up fixtures his team will face over the next fornight.

‘The Stormers will field a strong team this weekend, with most of their first-choice players starting. It will be the ideal test for our players,’ Solomons told keo.co.za. ‘Then we have the Sharks next weekend, who are also expected to play their strongest side. We then face the Lions after the Sharks game, but it looks like they’ll play a weakened team.

‘These five games are very important as we prepare a final squad for Super Rugby next season. We’re giving all the players in the region [EP, SWD and Border] some game time so they have an opportunity to make an impression. So far, I’m satisfied with the results. Our SWD-Border side had a good start against the Cheetahs, but in the end they had too much firepower. We had a poor start against the Bulls, and gave away too many penalties in the first 15 minutes and found ourselves 13-0 behind. But we played well after that.’

The Kings currently have former Bulls scrumhalf Dustin Jinka and former Lions and Griquas flyhalf Earl Rose on a month-long trial. They’ll feature on the bench against the Stormers this weekend.

‘It’s a tough situation for Earl. He’s not 100% fit because he hasn’t played rugby in a long time [since the end of the 2011 Currie Cup]. We see potential in both players and they’ll get their chances on the field. Their trials end on 17 February, so we’ll decide what happens when that day comes.

‘We’re also giving some of our young players an opportunity against the Stormers. Flyhalf Shane Gates and lock Reynier Bernado come out of our junior structures.’

Southern Kings to play Stormers – 15 Tiger Mangweni, 14 Norman Nelson, 13 Jaco Bekker, 12 Wayne Stevens, 11 Marcello Sampson, 10 Shane Gates, 9 Falie Oelschig, 8 Luke Watson, 7 Mpho Mbiyozo, 6 Jacques Engelbrecht, 5 David Bulbring, 4 Darron Nell, 3 Clint Newland, 2 Hannes Franklin, 1 Jaco Engels.
Subs: 16 Bobby Dyer, 17 Zane Killian, 18 Andre Schlechter, 19 Wayne van Heerden, 20 Reynier Bernardo, 21 Boetie Britz, 22 Thembani Bholi, 23 Dustin Jinka, 23 Earl Rose, 25 Dwayne Jenner, 26 Kieran Goss.

By Gareth Duncan

Jean-Baptiste Poux takes over at loosehead prop from Vincent Debaty while Dimitri Szarzewski comes in at hooker for William Servat. Yoann Maestri starts at lock in place of Lionel Nallet, who drops down to the bench, while Imanol Harinordoquy takes over from Julian Bonnaire at flank.

France – 15 Maxime Médard, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Aurelien Rougerie, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Julien Malzieu, 10 François Trinh-Duc, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Imanol Harinordoquy, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (c), 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Pape, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Jean-Baptiste Poux.
Subs: 16 William Servat, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Lionel Nallet, 19 Julien Bonnaire, 20 Morgan Parra, 21 Lionel Beauxis, 22 Maxime Mermoz

The IRB confirmed on Tuesday that this initiative is set to grow sevens rugby’s support group ahead of the code’s Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games. The number of teams that will take part in each event in the World Series will increase from the so-called 12 ‘core’ sides to 15.

This will see the Hong Kong Sevens (March 23-25) double up as a qualification tournament to determine the three new teams competing in all events in the 2012-13 campaign.

‘As we build towards Rio 2016 and our Olympic Games debut, it is important that opportunities exist for all nations to progress to series core team status if they are good enough,’ said IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset.

The Reds earned a reputation as being one of Super Rugby’s whipping boys before dramatically transforming their fortunes and winning the tournament in 2011. Their success, gained off the back of entertaining play, ensured the Suncorp Stadium was regularly packed.

O’Neill appealed to Australia’s other four franchises, all of whom are in a perilous financial position, to follow the Brisbane side’s lead. ‘We know it annoys some people that we reflect on the Reds as an example … but you do like to reflect on success,’ O’Neill told the Sydney Morning Herald.

‘The Reds have turned it around by playing entertaining, winning rugby, and their home crowds over a two-year period have gone from an average of 13,000 to 35,000. That was obviously helped by a home semi-final and final, but their TV ratings also went off the radar.

‘We’d love to see that replicated throughout all of the franchises and the five Australian cities. It is critical for all of them – some more than others – that they shoot the lights out this year, have extremely successful performances on the park and drive crowds.

‘All bar the Reds can do better on their crowd figures. It’s not a criticism, it’s a statement of fact. Besides the Super Rugby distribution we give them, the provinces’ sources of revenue involves corporate sponsorship. But their principal source is match-day revenue – ticket sales, memberships, corporate hospitality.’

‘Success is infectious, and if the Waratahs, Brumbies, Rebels and Force can emulate some of that, their boards and their management will be dancing in the streets, because it takes some of the financial pressure off. And it is entirely under their control. You have got to get people to feel absolutely in love with their team.’

O’Neill also spoke of the importance of winning as a means of driving private investors. ‘People are soon banging on your door to become members, and that helps make the province a financial success. Enticing private investors is also a lot easier if the vehicle is successful,’ he said.

However, head coach Robbie Deans has been assured he will continue to the end of his contract in 2013. A review of the 2011 season written by four former Test players – Brett Robinson, Michael Hawker, John Eales and Mark Connors – has been submitted. It assesses the general health of Australian rugby and includes the 2011 World Cup campaign and provides recommendations where the Wallabies coaching structure can be improved.

The report will be discussed at the ARU board meeting on 24 February and Deans’ assistants are likely to feature prominently in those discussions. Two jobs are vacant after the departure of forwards coach Jim Williams and strength and conditioning coach Peter Harding.

ARU chief executive John O’Neill, however, stressed his full support for Deans. ‘Robbie is the coach for the next two years, but there are clearly others who have ambitions, which is pretty normal,’ O’Neill said.

‘If you’re a Super Rugby coach, and don’t have ambitions to coach the Wallabies, it would be unusual. But two years is a pretty long time in rugby. And it’s not very useful to have a whole lot of speculation about what is going to happen sometime at the back end of 2013. Attaching odds on whether Robbie will stay on, versus Ewen McKenzie, Michael Foley or whoever taking over is just pointless.

‘It is also pointless to be campaigning when you should be concentrating on your day job. There’s no point hitting the tom-tom drums and saying you’re ready, when a decision is two years away.’

The successful applicant would be expected to contribute to all of HSM‘s sports magazines as well as keo.co.za. He or she would need to have good writing skills and an excellent sporting knowledge.

If you think you’re the right person for the job, e-mail your CV and examples of your writing to simon@hsm.co.za before 8 February 2012. Should you not hear from us within two weeks of the closing date, please consider your application for this position unsuccessful.

At the Green Mile in Cape Town, Shimlas hooker PW van Vuuren, No 8 Fanie van der Walt and scrumhalves Kevin Luiters and Pieter Rademan secured the students from Free State a bonus-point win. Wing Nico Scheepers also added four conversions and three penalties.

UCT could only add two tries through fullback Dillyn Leyds and skipper Ntsolo Setlaba as they lost their first opening game since 2009.

Three-time champions Stellenbosch University recorded a 52-2 drubbing of TUT at home. Lock Grant Hattingh grabbed a hat-trick while tighthead prop Os Hamman finished the match with a brace. Outside centre Wessel Coetzee and reserve flyhalf Andre Smith completed the rout.

Tuks and Pukke also had a successful start to their season with impressive wins over last year’s log leaders UJ (23-8) and NMMU (26-16) respectively.

UCT 10 (5) – Tries: Dillyn Leyds, Ntsolo Setlaba.
Shimlas 38 (18) – Tries: PW van Vuuren, Fanie van der Walt, Kevin Luiters, Pieter Rademan. Conversions: Nico Scheepers (4). Penalties: Scheepers (3).

Maties 52 (26) – Tries: Wessel Coetzee, Grant Hattingh (3), Os Hamman (2), Andre Smith. Conversions: Andre Kemp (4), Donald Stevens. Penalty: Kemp.
TUT 2 (2) – Peanlty: Hansie Graaff

Tuks 23 (18) – Tries: Franco Mostert, Hayden Groepes, Jono Ross. Conversions: Wesley Dunlop (2). Penalty: Dunlop.
UJ 8 (0) – Try: JR Esterhuizen. Conversion: Guy Cronje.

NMMU 16 (8) – Tries: Jaco Swanepoel, Quinton Crocker. Conversions: Gerhard Swanepoel, Devon Lailvaux.
Pukke 26 (26) – Andrew van Wyk (2), SW Oosthuizen, Tiaan Dorfling. Conversions: Gerhard Nortier.

Wing Garth van Rayner steered the hosts to victory with his brace, while flank Onke Dubase, speedster Aziyena Mandaba and scrumhalf Sibabalwe Mtsulwana also scored tries. Flyhalf Banda Masixole added three conversions and a penalty to seal the bonus-point win.

No 8 Leon Stevens’ try kept Impis in the game at half-time as they trailed 16-8, but further scores from replacements Jaco Potgieter and Blake Lourens weren’t enough as Fort Hare delivered a strong second-half performance.

In other results, Wits ran in six tries as they thrashed UWC 43-20 in Johannesburg.

Fort Hare 36 (16) – Tries: Garth van Rayner (2), Onke Dubase, Aziyena Mandaba, Sibabalwe Mtsulwana. Conversions: Banda Masixole (3). Penalty: Masixole.
UKZN 21 (8) – Tries: Leon Stevens, Jaco Potgieter, Blake Lourens. Conversions: Carl Meyer, Potgieter.

Wits 43 (17) – Tries: Rinus Botha, Bronson Lange, Charles Baggott, Devin Montgomery, Riaan Arends, Sam Peters. Conversions: Kyle Peyper (3). Penalties: Peyper (2).
UWC 20 (2) – Tries: Njabulo Ndlovu, Maxwel Andrews, Cheslyn Roberts. Conversion: Ambrose Steyn. Penalty: Charl van Hollenhoven.

The 16-12 scoreline was unimpressive but needs to be viewed in the context of an inexperienced squad and a lack of synergy given the infancy of the season. According to Ludeke, the primary objective of the match was to give some young players an opportunity to stake a claim for Super Rugby inclusion.

‘The result was important, we always want to win, but it didn’t override the main goal, which was to see the sort of depth available to us,’ Ludeke said. ‘I was impressed with how some of the players came through. They know there are places up for grabs in the Super Rugby team and they pushed their names forward.’

Depth will be a focal area for the Bulls in 2012. They’ve lost a string of experienced players, with the departed sextet of Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez, Bakkies Botha, Guthro Steenkamp, Gary Botha and Danie Rossouw accounting for 581 Super Rugby caps and hundreds of Test caps among them.

Young players like CJ Stander, Francois Venter and Arno Botha are highly regarded at the franchise and can expect to see some game time in Super Rugby. Others like Jurgen Visser, Sampie Mastriet and Frik Kirsten are further away from that goal.

The Bulls are thin in the locks in particular. Wilhelm Steenkamp was recently lured back to the Bulls from the Cheetahs, while Juandre Kruger and Flip van der Merwe are the only other experienced second rowers. Flyhalf is also a concern. Morne Steyn will be the premier pivot, with Lionel Cronje, recruited from the Stormers, set to rotate with him.

‘Those are areas we’re holding thumbs we don’t suffer injuries in. If we do we will be in a difficult situation, with some youngsters having to step up,’ Ludeke said. ‘But we can’t concern ourselves with that. If it happens the next guy has an opportunity to show his talent and character.’

The Bulls are expected to name something resembling their first-choice match 22 in Polokwane against the Cheetahs. They open their Super Rugby campaign a fortnight later against the Sharks in Pretoria and the match represents the last opportunity for their elite to ready themselves for the southern hemisphere showpiece.

‘I think we’ll be fine playing just a couple of warm-up games. We aren’t too worried about being under-prepared,’ Ludeke said.’We hope to give some new combinations game time together. We’ve got some injuries to key players but overall we’re in a good space in that regard. The Cheetahs are playing good rugby by all accounts. They’ll be tough to beat. We’re looking for the guys to get match fitness and get some flow in our game. Training runs help with that but obviously they don’t simulate the real thing.’

Akona Ndungane (hamstring) and Werner Kruger (back) missed the Kings match but are likely to feature in Polokwane. Jacques Potgieter and Wynand Olivier, however, won’t be considered due to injuries.

There will be conjecture about the validity of the penalty that proved decisive. Stephen Ferris was called for a dangerous tackle but television replays suggest the decision was harsh. It was a shame that a match of this calibre was decided by a controversial call but it was an epic nonetheless.

The quality was as good and sometimes better than anything you’ll see in the Rugby Championship this season. The sides’ tries were excellent in their construction and execution, featuring the most sublime handling skills.

The first from Wales’ flyhalf Rhys Priestland, who committed two defenders and put Jonathan Davies away with a fine offload. Ireland’s was a collective effort from the back division, who shifted the ball through the hands sharply, Rory Best rounding off the move. Wales’ second came thanks to a superlative touch from big George North, the winger floating up a back-of-the-hand offload that put Davies clean through.

For Wales Priestland continues to impress as an international flyhalf, his cause aided by powerful and largely precise phase play from his forwards. However, his goal-kicking needs attention. He missed three from three, which wasn’t costly in the final analysis but could well have been on another day. Ireland’s pivot Jonathan Sexton had no such trouble and going into the final quarter his third penalty gave his side a narrow 16-15 lead.

Bradley Davies undermined Wales’ ambition when he was yellow carded for a horrific dump-tackle that should have earned him a stronger sanction. Two minutes later Ireland winger Tommy Bowe finished a multi-phase move that depleted Wales’ defensive line. Sexton missed the conversion and with four minutes to play Wales drew within a point with a try from North. Halfpenny missed the touchline conversion but held his nerve when it mattered to give the Dragons a famous win.

By Ryan Vrede

It’s been two weeks since Bok head coach Heyneke Meyer’s appointment, and plans to build him a strong support staff have been ongoing ever since. According to the Rapport, Saru is now set to finalise his first recruit over the next several days, with former Stormers director of coaching Rassie Erasmus set to take on a technical advisor role – the same role he played shortly before the Springboks’ World Cup campaign. Contract negotiations are expected to happen this week.

The 39-year-old has been connected to several jobs in Europe after his resignation at WP. However, Erasmus told keo.co.za last month that he would be interested in a post in South Africa as he wants to consider his young family.

Current Springbok Sevens coach Paul Treu and several Bulls management members, like defence coach John McFarland, forwards coach Johann van Graan, conditioning coach Basil Carzis, are also linked to Bok jobs.

The Bulls personnel are all committed to the Pretoria franchise under their current contracts, but it’s reported that Saru is willing to pay for them to be released as they are all on Meyer’s wishlist.

Treu has already confirmed to SA Rugby magazine that he wants to be part of the process that prepares the Blitzboks for sevens rugby’s debut at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, but keo.co.za has it on good authority that he is open to a dual job that will allow him to be released to coach 15-man rugby and to focus on the national sevens team as a consultant or senior mentor whenever possible. Treu said he has no interest in becoming a Super Rugby assistant coach, but a Bok assistant coach post with the opportunity to succeed Meyer in the long-term future will be an appealing deal.

In other management rumours, former Bok players Louis Koen and Victor Matfield are expected to be hired as kicking and lineout consultants respectively.

The Scots went into the game as favourites having not lost to their arch-rivals at home since 2004. They also boasted the more experienced line-up, with 499 Test caps in their starting XV compared to new-look England’s 233.

England were fielding three debutants, including former Sharks centre Brad Barritt, who made a good start to his Test career when he won his side a penalty at the breakdown.

The visitors had 70% territory in the first quarter, thanks mainly to some poor tactical kicking from Scotland, who put boot to ball every 35 seconds. But it took England 23 minutes to get on the board when debutant No 12 Owen Farrell kicked a penalty having missed his first attempt earlier on.

Scotland, though, dominated the rest of the half and two penalties from flyhalf Dan Parks gave them a 6-3 lead. England made several basic errors during that period, losing possession through a forward pass from Barritt, a kick from scrumhalf Ben Youngs that went directly into touch, and then a lost lineout inside Scottish territory.

The pressure England were being put under was evident by the fact that they had to make 79 tackles in the first half compared to Scotland’s 32.

Neither side had scored a try in this fixture since 2004 but that drought finally ended in the first minute of the second half when England flyhalf Charlie Hodgson charged down Parks’ clearance kick to score.

They almost crossed the line again 10 minutes later when Hodgson’s cross-field kick found winger David Strettle, but Scotland’s Zimbabwean-born No 8 David Denton, who was named Man of the Match, made a try-saving tackle.

Both coaches turned to their bench in the final quarter, with the introduction of Scottish halfbacks Mike Blair and Greig Laidlaw followed shortly afterwards by that of Lee Dickson and Jordan Turner-Hall for England.

Laidlaw made an immediate impact when he chased his own kick and only just failed to ground the ball over the tryline before Youngs dotted down. A minute later, Scotland butchered a certain try when flanker Ross Rennie broke through the defence but couldn’t find Laidlaw on his inside.

With six minutes to go, Farrell kicked another penalty to extend the lead to seven, and while Scotland finished the game on the attack they once again couldn’t make it count.

By Simon Borchardt

This was an important fixture for two reasons. Firstly, it was a new era for both teams as France coach Philippe Saint-Andre and Italy boss Jacques Brunel (both Frenchman) started their Test tenures at the Stade de France. It was also a revenge match for the hosts, following their first-ever defeat to the Azzurri in last year’s Six Nations. They were edged 22-21 in Rome thanks to two late penalties from wing Mirco Bergamasco.

On this occasion, it proved to be an easy outing for Les Bleus, who never found themselves behind on the scoreboard during their 18-point win.

While both teams committed numerous individual errors, France delivered several moments of impressive attacking play and were stronger on defence. Italy dominated the scrums with a superior front row, but they were beaten in every other facet of play. Their overall backline showing was also disappointing.

France led 15-6 at the break thanks to tries from outside centre Aurelien Rougerie and wing Julien Malzieu, who is one of the players who Saint-Andre has brought back to the Test squad. Rougerie took advantage of static Italian defence and broke through in the midfield while Malzieu had a strong run out wide after being put through by No 8 Louis Picamoles’ run off the back of a scrum. Scrumhalf Dimitri Yachvili added one conversion and two penalties while Italy flyhalf Kris Burton kept his side in the game at half-time with a drop goal and penalty.

France then sealed victory as wing Vincent Clerc and debutant Wesley Fofana crossed the chalk, while Yachvili added another five points with the boot. Italy struggled in the second half and finished the match with 14 men after lock Quintin Geldenhuys was sent to the sin bin for collapsing a rolling maul. South African-born reserve flyhalf Tobias Botes came off the bench to make his Test debut and converted a penalty.

By Gareth Duncan

The home team delivered a strong first-half performance in their 24-7 win over Fiji to seal the Cup final early. The Kiwis scored four unanswered tries through Tomasi Cama, DJ Forbes and Frank Halai (2). Fiji hit back via Waisea Nayacalevu and kept New Zealand scoreless after the restart, but they couldn’t surpass the massive half-time deficit.

Meanwhile, Paul Treu’s charges triumphed 24-0 as they dominated an ill-disciplined and fatigued Tongan outfit in the Plate final. They cruised through the first half, scoring three tries via Frankie Horne, Cecil Afrika and Kyle Brown for a 19-0 lead. Afrika scored the only points in the second half to seal the win.

In the Plate semi-final, South Africa edged Canada 21-19.

It was a close encounter against the North American minnows, with both teams scoring three tries apiece. In the end, Cecil Afrika’s goal kicking was the difference as he added all the extras.

Taylor Paris put Canada on the score sheet first before Cornal Hendricks and Brown gave South Africa a 14-7 lead at half-time. Paris grabbed his brace early in the second stanza, but debutant Stephan Dippenaar restored his team’s slim lead. Canada’s Ciaran Hearn then crossed the chalk, but the following conversion was missed. The Blitzboks held on for the win.

Earlier in the day, the Springbok Sevens crashed out of the tournament title race with a 21-5 defeat to Fiji in the Cup quarter-finals.

South Africa opened the scoring with a try through Hendricks, but Fiji went on to dominate the rest of the match as they sealed the win with three unanswered scores through Nemani Nagusa, Osea Kolinisau and Emosi Vucago.

Day two results:
Cup quarter-final: South Africa 5 Fiji 21
Plate semi-final: South Africa 21 Canada 19
Plate final: South Africa 26 Tonga 0

Click here for all results

South Africa trailed 5-0 at the break, but took the lead when Mark Richards scored a try early in the second half. Branco du Preez then beat three defenders to give his side a nine-point cushion.

England scored their second try in the final minute of the match, but the Blitzboks secured the kick-off, won a penalty and booted the ball into touch.

Earlier in the day, Cornal Hendricks scored a brace in South Africa’s 43-0 hammering of the Cook Islands in Wellington.

Paul Treu’s charges shot to a 19-0 half-time lead thanks to tries by Hendricks, Steven Hunt and Boom Prinsloo. Frankie Horne scored soon after the restart while Hendricks added his second two minutes in. Cecil Afrika and Paul Delport added further tries to complete the rout.

The Blitzboks also recorded a 21-0 win over the United States of America. Afrika scored a brace while Hunt also got his name on the scoresheet.

South Africa will play Fiji in the Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.

For all the results, click here.

The Chiefs ran in six tries, impressing with their fluid attack against a disjointed defensive line. The Rebels’ new high-profile recruits James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale entered the match in the second quarter but failed to make any telling impact.

Chiefs coach Dave Rennie was pleased with the outcome. ‘It was good to give the whole squad a run with all the players getting at least thirty minutes on the field,’ Rennie said.

‘There was good competition within the squad and I really happy with the defence. There are always plenty of things to work on but it is a good start.’

Rebels coach Damien Hill was forthright in his assessment. ‘Overall it’s disappointing, you don’t like to be beaten by 36 points whether it’s a trial or not,’ Hill said. ‘It highlighted a few areas in attack and defence we need to work on which is what these trials are for.’

The France utility forward was reportedly involved in what the French press described as a heated exchange with coach Pierre Berbizier on Monday night. However, in a statement club president Jacky Lorenzetti merely cited a difference of opinion between the player and team management.

The statement added that Lorenzetti and Chabal had failed to agree terms on a new deal and following a disagreement about the club’s ‘sporting strategy’, the two parties had, ‘decided to put an end to their collaboration and prefer to leave on good terms.’

Toulon are thought to be most likely to sign the 34-year-old.

Last Friday, Saru CEO Jurie Roux confirmed that the Southern Kings will play Super Rugby in 2013. However, he added that it had not been decided how they would be accommodated along with the other five South African franchises (the Bulls, Stormers, Sharks, Cheetahs and Lions) and he hoped that Sanzar would allow all six teams to compete next year. However, Peters said another tournament format change will not be possible for the next three seasons.

‘Sanzar has sold the current structure of Super Rugby to broadcasters and commercial partners for the period ending December 31 2015, so until that time expansion of the competition is not possible,’ Peters told The Times.

This will force Saru to drop one of the current participating South African franchises to make way for the Kings next year, most probably the Cheetahs or Lions, who have enjoyed the least success. However, Saru vice-president Mark Alexander, who is one of Saru’s two representatives on the Sanzar board, dismissed Peters’ statement as he believes a tournament format change is still possible.

‘We still have to meet with our partners in Sanzar. Greg Peters cannot decide there won’t be any expansion of the tournament. That was an irresponsible statement to make. There is a window of opportunity with our partners in Sanzar. We are currently preparing a 16-team schedule so that we can go and debate with them,’ said Alexander.

‘Our relationship with Sanzar has improved tremendously. We are very close to our partners in Australia and we work very closely with New Zealand and our relationship has changed. There is a window of opportunity provided we sell a workable solution about 16 franchises playing in the competition.’

England will field a new-look team, that sees a total of nine changes to the starting line-up that faced France in the World Cup quarter-final.

Barritt, who will receive his first Test cap, will form a new midfield combination with Saracens team-mate Owen Farrell. Interim head coach Stuart Lancaster has interestingly named the 25-year-old at outside centre. For Saracens, Farrell features in the No 13 jersey while Barritt starts on his inside.

‘To pull on a Test jersey is the ultimate for a player, it is something you dream about as a kid. It will be an immensely proud moment for me and my family to represent England,’ Barritt told reporters.

‘We are blessed in the squad with 32 really talented individuals and Owen and I are going to make our debuts together. I am sure he [Owen] will take to it like a duck to water. You have seen in the past 18 months that any obstacle that has come his way, he has embraced it and taken on the challenge.

‘Having Charlie [Hodgson] and Strets [David Strettle] in the backs means it is a great day for Sarries. But if were to be playing with anybody else I would be just as proud and just as content going into the game.’

Eighthman Phil Dowson also makes his Test debut at the age of 30 while Saffa Mouritz Botha is picked in the second row. On the bench, there are five more uncapped players in hooker Rob Webber, lock Geoff Parling, flanker Ben Morgan, scrumhalf Lee Dickson and centre Jordan Turner-Hall.

England – 15 Ben Foden, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 David Strettle, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Phil Dowson, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Croft, 5 Tom Palmer, 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Alex Corbisiero.
Subs: 16 Rob Webber, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Geoff Parling, 19 Ben Morgan, 20 Lee Dickson, 21 Jordan Turner-Hall, 22 Mike Brown.