South Africa vs USA: Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Rugby World Cup 2015 Game
South Africa face the United States on Wednesday knowing that victory assures them of a first-place finish in Pool B of the Rugby World Cup 2015.
Anything less would give Scotland, who are second in the group, their chance to leapfrog into top spot, meaning Heyneke Meyer's men are under pressure to dispatch the Americans with haste at London's Olympic Stadium.
The United States are one of five teams yet to claim a point at the World Cup, but the advantage of having a game in hand over the Springboks means their dream of qualifying for the quarter-finals just about lives on.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Mike Tolkin has made 12 changes to the Eagles' lineup that succumbed to Scotland 39-16 almost a fortnight ago, with Matthew Trouville, Niku Kruger and Zach Test set to make their World Cup debuts.
The Springboks are fortunate to know exactly what's required of them in order to book a priority place in the final eight, and the 34-16 dismantling of Scotland last time out will have buoyed their spirits.
Read on for all the necessary viewing information ahead of Wednesday's fixture, along with match preview and betting guide.
Date: Wednesday, October 7
Time: 4:45 p.m. BST/11:45 a.m. ET, (Thursday, Oct. 8) 2:45 a.m. AEST/4:45 a.m. NZT
Venue: Olympic Stadium, London
Live Stream: ITV Player (UK), Universal Sports (U.S.), Fox Sports (AUS), Sky Go (NZ), SuperSport (SA)
TV Info: ITV (UK), Fox Sports 2 (AUS), Sky Sport 1 (NZ), SuperSport 1 (SA)
Team Lineups
South Africa: 15. Willie le Roux, 14. Lwazi Mvovo, 13. Jesse Kriel, 12. Damian de Allende, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Handre Pollard, 9. Fourie du Preez (C), 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Schalk Burger, 6. Francois Louw, 5. Lood de Jager, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 1. Tendai Mtawarira
United States: 15. Blaine Scully, 14. Brett Thompson, 13. Folau Niua, 12. Andrew Suniula, 11. Zach Test, 10. Shalom Suniula, 9. Niku Kruger, 8. Samu Manoa (C), 7. John Quill, 6. Danny Barrett, 5. Matthew Trouville, 4. Louis Stanfill, 3. Chris Baumann, 2. Phil Thiel, 1. Oli Kilifi
| October 3, 2015 | Scotland 16-34 South Africa |
| September 26, 2015 | Samoa 6-46 South Africa |
| September 19, 2015 | Japan 34-32 South Africa |
| August 15, 2015 | Argentina 12-26 South Africa |
| August 8, 2015 | South Africa 25-37 Australia |
| September 27, 2015 | Scotland 39-16 United States |
| September 20, 2015 | Samoa 25-16 United States |
| September 5, 2015 | United States 10-47 Australia |
| August 22, 2015 | Canada 23-41 United States |
| August 3, 2015 | Canada 13-15 United States |
Players to Watch
Lwazi Mvovo
JP Pietersen was a standout performer for the Springboks against Scotland, but the hat-trick scorer is replaced by Lwazi Mvovo for the USA test after failing to recover from a twisted knee.
With veteran Bryan Habana lined up on the other flank, it goes to show the strength in depth Meyer boasts out wide, with Mvovo perhaps even surprised to be dropped after the Japan defeat.
On pace alone, the 29-year-old may be the top candidate to rival an in-form Habana as the fastest among South Africa's ranks, and the prospect of going up against debutant Test on Wednesday looks enticing.
The Sharks speedster will be relying on the blossoming centre partnership of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel to ensure the ball finds its way to the wings, at which point he can expect to be unleashed.
The biggest weakness for the United States so far in this tournament has been a lack of stamina, evidenced by the five second-half tries conceded to the Scots at Elland Road, Leeds.
Mvovo is the kind of terror that won't be kept at bay for the full 80 minutes, and any dog-legging could create the overlaps necessary to see him exploit those late moves.
| South Africa Win | 1-100 |
| Draw | 70-1 |
| United States Win | 40-1 |
| First Scoring Play: Try | 11-10 |
Samu Manoa
Samu Manoa captains his country on Wednesday as Saracens back Chris Wyles drops to Tolkin's bench, handing the pack leader an even heavier burden in regards to how he must carry this U.S. team.
In a squad made up of professionals, sevens stars and amateurs alike, Manoa, 30, is one of the truly world-class names.
Andy McGeady of the Irish Times detailed his elite offloading record in the Premiership last season:
The United States can rely on their monolithic No. 8 to do his bit, although lock Louis Stanfill is hoping for his side to show more than just physicality if they're to evolve, per ESPN Scrum's Tristan Barclay:
"Being physical should not be a part of the equation. This is international rugby, everyone's physical. If you're not physical, you're probably not at the World Cup.
People still say that it's a reflection of our inability to come out and continue to show the world how technically proficient we are. That's up to us. We are a technically proficient team. That second half [against Scotland] did not show it. The first half did.
"
First and foremost, Manoa adds a carrying presence to the U.S. lineup that hasn't really had a chance to find its feet as of yet.
Stanfill is right in that more strings must be added to the Americans' bow if they're to improve a dreadful World Cup record, but for now, Manoa continues to reign as their most likely source of inspiration.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
