South Africa v World XV
Matt Giteau to captain World XV against Springboks
June 6, 2014
Matt Giteau has been in career-best form for Toulon © PA Photos
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Matt Giteau will captain a World XV against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.

The former Australia international is joined in the world team by Heineken Cup- and Top 14-winning Toulon team-mates European Cup winners Drew Mitchell, Steffon Armitage, Craig Burden and Carl Hayman.

Giteau, who won 92 Test caps for Australia, will play at fly-half and direct a backline containing two other former Wallabies in fullback James O'Connor and Mitchell, and former All Blacks Rene Ranger and Hosea Gear.

World XV and former Springboks coach Nick Mallett picked five South Africans to start against their compatriots at Newlands: Wynand Olivier, Rory Kockott, Alistair Hargreaves, Juandre Kruger and Burden. All but two of Mallett's 23-man squad play in Europe.

South Africans Burden, Kockott and replacement prop Schalk Ferreira are the only players in the 23 who aren't internationals.

Star-studded French club Toulon will have seven players in the game, with wing Bryan Habana and second-rower Bakkies Botha lining up for the Springboks.

The Springboks have not hosted a World XV since 1989, when the country was still officially under Apartheid.

World XV: James O'Connor (London Irish, Australia); Drew Mitchell (Toulon, Australia), Rene Ranger (Montpellier, New Zealand), Wynand Olivier (Montpellier, South Africa), Hosea Gear (Toulouse, New Zealand)' Matt Giteau (captain, Toulon, Australia), Rory Kockott (Castres); Roger Wilson (Ulster, Ireland), Steffon Armitage (Toulon, England), Mamuka Gorgodze (Montpellier, Georgia); Alistair Hargreaves (Saracens, South Africa), Juandre Kruger (Racing Metro, South Africa); Carl Hayman (Toulon, New Zealand), Craig Burden (Toulon), Sona Taumalolo (Perpignan, Tonga). Replacements: Andrew Hore (New Zealand), Schalk Ferreira (Toulouse), Pat Cilliers (Stormers/South Africa), Joe Tekori (Toulouse, Samoa), Alexandre Lapandry (Clermont, France), Jimmy Cowan (Southland, New Zealand), Francois Trinh-Duc (Montpellier, France), Benson Stanley (Clermont, New Zealand).

© AAP

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