South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer has made eight changes to his starting lineup for Saturday's Pool B showdown with Samoa after the Springboks were stunned in their Rugby World Cup opener by Japan.

Meyer's men conceded a last-minute try against the Brave Blossoms on Saturday to lose their World Cup opener for the first time ever, and Meyer has dropped over half of his starting XV for this weekend's match at Villa Park.

Five of the changes come in the backline, with captain Jean de Villiers and winger Bryan Habana the only two to keep their place.

Fourie du Preez, Handre Pollard, Damian de Allende, JP Pietersen and Willie le Roux are the five backs chosen to come in and make an impact against the Samoans, who won their opener against USA on Sunday.

The starting lineup alone has 891 combined Test caps, making it the most experienced World Cup XV of all time.

South Africa: Mtawarira, Strauss, J. du Plessis; Etzebeth, Matfield; Louw, Burger; Vermeulen; Du Preez, Pollard, Habana, De Allende, De Villiers, Pietersen, Le Roux
Replacements: Brits, Nyakane, Malherbe, De Jager, Kolisi, Pienaar, Lambie, Kriel