Four Fresh Faces And Returning Veteran Set For Bok Duty In Durban

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has included a quartet of uncapped players in the starting line-up for Saturday’s Nations Championship Test against Wales in Durban.

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Young and exciting backline talents Vusi Moyo (flyhalf) and Jaco Williams (wing) will realise their Bok dreams at Kings Park, where they’ve enjoyed meteoric starts to their senior rugby careers with the Sharks.

Meanwhile, veteran forwards Carlu Sadie (prop) and Ruben van Heerden (lock) will also finally feature in a Test for the back-to-back world champions.

The other notable selection is Herschel Jantjies on the bench, with the scrumhalf last playing in the Green and Gold jersey against Argentina in 2023.

Erasmus has stayed true to his word to give every player in his expanded squad a chance to prove what they could do at the highest level of the game by once again making wholesale changes to his match-day squad.

Sadie will scrum down alongside Malcolm Marx and Gerhard Steenekamp, with Van Heerden linking up with Cobus Wiese in the second row, while Paul de Villiers, Pieter-Steph du Toit (who will again lead the team), and Jasper Wiese form the loose trio.

Moyo will have experienced Cobus Reinach as his halfback partner, while Williams forms an exciting back trio with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Aphelele Fassi, with Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel manning the midfield.

Erasmus has reverted to a standard 5-3 split bench, where Andre-Hugo Venter is in line to earn his second Test cap after making his debut in 2024 against Portugal. He’s joined by Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Wilco Louw, Ben-Jason Dixon, Marco van Staden, Jantjies, Manie Libbok and Damian Willemse.

Eben Etzebeth (lock), Franco Mostert (utility forward), Andre Esterhuizen (centre and flanker), Canan Moodie (utility back), Handre Pollard (flyhalf), and Ox Nche (prop) were all unavailable for selection due to injury.

“We told the players from the start of the season that if everything played out well, we would give everyone in the squad a chance to play in the competition, and we are excited to see what the uncapped players, as well as those who have not been in the mix for a while, bring to the team,” said Erasmus.

“This squad shows an exciting mix of youth and experience, and while we are under no illusions about the threat Wales poses, we are looking forward to seeing what these players can do.

“Wales put up a good fight in their Six Nations matches against Scotland and Ireland, and they defeated Italy in their final match of the tournament. They also beat Fiji in the Nations Championship before going down against Argentina in a competitive match last week, so they are on the rise and will come out with a point to prove this weekend.”

Touching on the four uncapped players in the side, Erasmus said: “They all played very well for their franchises this season, and have been working extremely hard at training, while waiting patiently for a chance to play, so we are delighted for them.

“Building squad depth has always been one of our pillars since 2018, and to have such an exciting group of players coming through is fantastic as we continue to build our squad for the future.

“We have full faith in their abilities, and I’m sure the senior guys around them will assist in keeping them calm on the field, so they can show the talent that earned them a place in the squad. Hopefully, we can make it a memorable occasion for them and our loyal supporters this weekend.”

Fast facts:

• After Saturday’s clash, Damian de Allende will require only one more Test appearance after this match to earn his 100th Test cap, while Pieter-Steph du Toit will only require two more to achieve that remarkable milestone.
• Cobus Reinach requires only one more try to move to 100 Test points in the green and gold.
• Pieter-Steph du Toit will lead the Boks for the third time in as many weeks in this weekend’s encounter.
• Should the Springboks register a victory, it will mark their 11th Test win in a row.
• The teams have met only once in Durban in 2014 – a game the Springboks won 38-16.
• The last time the teams crossed paths in South Africa was in 2022, when the Springboks won two of their three matches.
• The total Test caps in the Springbok starting line-up are 537.
• There are 285 caps in the backline, with 252 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 188 caps.
• The average caps per player in the backline is 41, the forwards 32, while the players on the bench average 24.

South Africa: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Jaco Williams, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain), 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Carlü Sadie, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.

Replacements: 16 André-Hugo Venter, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Ben-Jason Dixon, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Damian Willemse.