Canada change front row for South Africa challenge

Canada will field a new front row when they face South Africa at the Rugby World Cup on Tuesday, just six days after playing reigning champions New Zealand.

Hubert Buydens, Andrew Quattrin and Jake Ilnicki all come into the side as three of six changes to the team hammered 63-0 by New Zealand in the most lopsided result of this tournament so far.

Meanwhile, lock Kyle Baillie makes his first World Cup appearance, Phil Mack starts at scrum-half and Andrew Coe at fullback.

Facing the All Blacks and the Springboks, long international rugby union's two leading nations would be a daunting challenge even for a leading Test side.

But it is particularly tough for a Canada team ranked 22nd in the world and rarely exposed to this level of rugby outside a World Cup.

Tuesday's match at the Kobe Misaki Stadium, the first meeting between the two countries since 2000 and just the third in all, promises to be particularly special for Canada's South Africa-born wing DTH van der Merwe.

The 33-year-old will be playing in his 15th World Cup match, a record for a Canadian.

He has the chance to become just the fifth player after Samoa's Brian Lima, Ireland's Brian O´Driscoll, Wales's Gareth Thomas and Australia's Adam Ashley-Cooper to score a try at four different World Cups.

Van der Merwe has yet to cross the line in two matches at this edition, with Coe scoring Canada's lone try in a 48-7 opening loss to Italy.

Canada (15-1):

Andrew Coe; Jeff Hassler, Conor Trainor, Ciaran Hearn, DTH van der Merwe; Peter Nelson, Phil Mack; Tyler Ardron (capt), Matt Heaton, Lucas Rumball; Kyle Baillie, Evan Olmstead; Jake Ilnicki, Andrew Quattrin, Hubert Buydens

Replacements: Benoit Piffero, Djustice Sears-Duru, Matt Tierney, Josh Larsen, Michael Sheppard, Jamie Mackenzie, Shane O´Leary, Guiseppe du Toit