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All Blacks v Springboks: Duane Vermeulen back as South Africa change five for second All Blacks test

All Blacks v Springboks: Duane Vermeulen back as South Africa change five for second All Blacks test

Duane Vermeulen of South Africa speaks to his team during the Rugby World Cup final between the Springboks and England in Yokohama. Photo/Getty Images

Duane Vermeulen is back at No. 8 for his first test this year as South Africa made five changes to its starting lineup today for its second Rugby Championship game against New Zealand.

Two of those changes were forced, with Jaden Hendrikse at scrumhalf in place of Faf de Klerk, who was ruled out with concussion. Jesse Kriel is called in on the right wing to replace Kurt-Lee Arendse, who was sent off and also sustained a concussion in the Springboks’ 26-10 win over the All Blacks in Mbombela on Sunday.

Arendse was suspended for four weeks for the dangerous midair tackle on Beauden Barrett that led to his red card and his injury.

South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber also made two tactical switches in the front row for the game at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday by bringing in Ox Nché for Trevor Nyakane at loosehead prop and restoring Bongi Mbonambi as starting hooker in place of Malcolm Marx. Tighthead prop Frans Malherbe is set for his 50th test.

Herschel Jantjies was called up to the reserves as scrumhalf cover and Jasper Wiese dropped to the bench to make way for the return of the 36-year-old Vermeulen, who has recently undergone knee surgery.

“Duane has a massive presence on the field and there is no bigger game for him to make his comeback from injury than facing the All Blacks,” said Nienaber.

The Springboks are seeking back-to-back wins over the All Blacks for the first time since 2009 and another defeat for New Zealand is expected to see coach Ian Foster lose his job. The All Blacks have lost five of their last six tests to slip to an all-time low of No. 5 on the world rankings.

Foster is expected to name his team for Ellis Park on Thursday and has injury doubts over Beauden Barrett at flyhalf and his brother Jordie at fullback.

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South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Jesse Kriel, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Jaden Hendrikse; 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nché. Reserves: Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, Franco Mostert, Jasper Wiese, Kwagga Smith, Herschel Jantjies, Willie le Roux.

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Daniel Ricciardo penalized as Max Verstappen wins F1 Hungarian Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo penalized as Max Verstappen wins F1 Hungarian Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo has missed out on a points finish after being penalized for causing a collision during Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen climbed from 10th to take another victory and extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship after Ferrari again threw away another potential victory.

Ricciardo was driving well and comfortably challenging in the top 10 around the Hungaroring in Budapest.

But the Australian’s day came unstuck when his brand new hard tires locked up just a few corners after exiting the pits and led to him running into the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll.

Stroll was attempting to pass the Australian before the collision, which sent the Aston Martin driver spinning.

Ricciardo was given a five-second penalty which took him out of contention for a top 10 finish.

Ricciardo had provided one of the highlights of the race on lap 24 with a double-overtake of the Alpine drivers Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon.

Ricciardo was chasing Alonso down the main straight when Ocon came out of the pits trying to stay ahead in 10th.

The Alpine drivers got in each other’s way, allowing Ricciardo to showcase his skills by passing both of them on consecutive corners.

Ferrari blunder again

Ferrari changes tires on the car of Charles Leclerc
Poor tire strategy has cost Charles Leclerc a chance at winning in Budapest.(Pool via Reuters: Attila Kisbenedek)

Ferrari’s hopes of winning either the Drivers’ or Constructors’ Championships in 2022 have taken a massive blow after Max Verstappen took the checkered flag.

Heading into Sunday’s race Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said his team needed a first and second place finish at a track where they were favourites.

But Ferrari’s tire strategy robbed Charles Leclerc of a chance of victory and he finished sixth.

Leclerc was leading at half-distance and was the fastest on track, but was forced to go onto the hard compound tire during his second stop after starting on the mediums.

The hard tire was the worst performing on Sunday, with many drivers including Ricciardo struggling on it.

Max Verstappen wins the Hungarian Grand Prix, holds the trophy.
Max Verstappen has extended his lead in the drivers’ championship.(Reuters: Lisa Leutner)

Meanwhile, Verstappen was able to storm home on the medium tire but had his own drama when he spun on a slippery part of the surface.

“I was hoping I could get close to a podium [finish],” he said.

“We had a really good strategy, we were really reactive, always pitting at the right times.”

Verstappen now holds an 80-point lead over Leclerc in the Drivers’ Championship.

Post race Leclerc said he wanted to stay out on his medium tires and pit later for a set of the faster soft compounds.

“We need to speak with the team and understand the thought behind putting on the hard [tyre],” he said.

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