Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and SA ‘A’ coach Mzwandile Stick named quality teams for their opening matches of the season against the Barbarians and Zimbabwe on Saturday in Gqeberha, with the teams being led by Siya Kolisi and Vincent Tshituka. The SA ‘A’ team will take the field against Zimbabwe at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium at 12h00 on Saturday, which will be followed by the clash between the Springboks and Barbarians at 15h00. Both matches will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
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Both matchday squads feature a careful balance of capped internationals and a group of talented new players who have been knocking hard on the door this season, while a bunch of Junior Springbok players who will be representing the team at the Junior World Championship in Georgia will also get their first taste of senior international rugby.
The Springboks feature a total of 18 capped internationals, with the only two players in the starting lineup who have yet to make their Test debuts being Junior Bok captain Riley Norton (lock) and Carlu Sadie (prop), while the uncapped players among the replacements are JJ Kotze (hooker), Paul de Villiers (loose forward) and SA U20 flyhalf Vusi Moyo. The backline has a strong international flavour to it with Aphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe and Edwill van der Merwe forming the back-three, while Andre Esterhuizen and Jesse Kriel will combine in a hard-running midfield combination, and Quan Horn will take over the No 10 jumper alongside Grant Williams at halfback.
Up front, Ox Nche and Sadie will form a front row trio with Andre-Hugo Venter, while Norton and Franco Mostert will run the engine room, and the familiar loose trio of Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese completing the forward pack. The replacements bench, which features six forwards and two backs, will see Kotze, Ntuthuko Mchunu and Zachary Porthen serve as the back-up front row, while Ben-Jason Dixon, De Villiers and Evan Roos will provide additional forward reinforcement. The two backline players on the bench are Faf de Klerk and Moyo.
Erasmus was pleased with the quality of the team he announced as injuries and enforced rest for certain players resulted in him having to tweak a few player combinations. “We said from the outset that we wanted to give a few players returning from injury and others who have been playing overseas game time in this match, while at the same time exposing some of the younger players on our radar to top-class international rugby, and we believe this squad reflects those objectives,” said Erasmus.
“We have been very impressed with the way the new players have jumped straight into action and grasped our systems and structures, and we are excited to see what they can do alongside some of our regular Springbok players, as we build for what will be a challenging season with the Nations Championship and Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series approaching.”
Of the Barbarians, Erasmus said: “They have a group of exciting and experienced players in their squad, and they’ll come out guns blazing and try to produce an entertaining style of rugby, which will serve as a good test for us. They will challenge us, but this will be a good hit-out for our players to get back into top-level international rugby, with the England match a little over two weeks ago.
“That said, they are always a tough side to analyse because they have players from all around the world, and a quality coaching team, who will set high standards for them, so it will be important for us to focus on our game and what we would like to achieve.” Stick, meanwhile, named a talented young SA ‘A’ side, who will have the luxury of relying on a group of senior players such as Lukhanyo Am (centre), Boan Venter (prop), Phepsi Buthelezi (No 8), Tshituka (lock) and Neethling Fouche (prop), who will be supported by an exciting group of youngsters including Luan Giliomee, Jaco Williams, and Zekhethelo Siyaya in the back three.
Markus Muller, meanwhile, will partner up with Am in the midfield, with halfbacks Yaqeen Ahmed and Haashim Pead dictating play at halfback.
Stick, who will double up as the Springbok assistant coach, also named a physical pack, with loose forwards Buthelezi, Bathobele Hlekani, Emmanuel Tshituka – the brother of Vincent Tshituka, who will run the lineouts with Van Heerden – and a strong front row combination of Fouche, Boan Venter (both props) and SA U20 hooker Siphosethu Mnebelele. The SA ‘A’ coach also named a strong bench, featuring the front row of Liam van Wyk (hooker), and props Oliver Reid and Hanro Jacobs, while Adre Smith, who joined the squad on Sunday, will provide further forward back-up with Siba Mahashe.
The three backline players among the replacements are Nico Steyn, Imad Khan, and Jurenzo Julius. “I’m looking forward to seeing what this group of players can do against a determined Zimbabwe outfit, who have qualified for the 2027 World Cup, and will undoubtedly use this opportunity to test themselves against us as they prepare for the international spectacle,” said Stick.
“The young players and uncapped guys have really slotted in well in the last week, and one can sense the excitement among them to take the field. “This match will provide fantastic senior international exposure for them, and for Zimbabwe as well, and I believe they have the goods to play an exciting brand of rugby, which will be great for the coaches to assess our depth as we not only build for this season, but with an eye on the RWC next year as well.”
Of Zimbabwe, Stick said: “They have a settled team, and they have good coaches, so they will throw everything at us, and we need to be ready for that. The keys for us this weekend will be to stick to our structures and for the individuals to use the talent that earned them selection for this group, so we are looking forward to seeing what they deliver on the field.” The teams will wrap up their main training block in Johannesburg on Wednesday, before departing for Gqeberha later in the afternoon.
Springbok team to face the Barbarians in Gqeberha:
15 Aphelele Fassi
14 Cheslin Kolbe
13 Jesse Kriel
12 Andre Esterhuizen
11 Edwill van der Merwe
10 Quan Horn
9 Grant Williams
8 Jasper Wiese
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit
6 Siya Kolisi (captain)
5 Franco Mostert
4 Riley Norton
3 Carlu Sadie
2 Andre-Hugo Venter
1 Ox Nche
Replacements:
16 JJ Kotze
17 Ntuthuko Mchunu
18 Zachary Porthen
19 Ben-Jason Dixon
20 Paul de Villiers
21 Evan Roos
22 Faf de Klerk
23 Vusi Moyo
SA ‘A’ team to face Zimbabwe in Gqeberha:
15 Luan Giliomee
14 Jaco Williams
13 Markus Muller
12 Lukhanyo Am
11 Zekhethelo Siyaya
10 Yaqeen Ahmed
9 Haashim Pead
8 Phepsi Buthelezi
7 Bathobele Hlekani
6 Emmanuel Tshituka
5 Ruben van Heerden
4 Vincent Tshituka (captain)
3 Neethling Fouche
2 Siphosethu Mnebelele
1 Boan Venter
Replacements:
16 Liam van Wyk
17 Oliver Reid
18 Hanro Jacobs
19 Adre Smith
20 Siba Mahashe
21 Nico Steyn
22 Imad Khan
23 Jurenzo Julius
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