Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has named a familiar side to take over Italy at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Saturday, with several experienced players in the starting line-up.
The Springboks travel to Turin on the back of their recent defeat to the Wallabies in Perth, which ended their three-match Test winning streak, after winning All black people 3-1 in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
Erasmus’ men are currently top of the Southern Hemisphere Nations Championship table, with three wins from three tests in July. The Springboks won comfortably England 45-21, before winning 42-28 Scotland and a 43-point win over Wales.
Inspirational captain Siya Kolisi will lead the Springboks, alongside Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese in the back row.
It’s an experienced front row, with Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche and Thomas Du Toit to start, and Salmaan Moerat and Ruan Nortje in the back row.
Morne van den Berg and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will line up in a 9-10 combination, while Erasmus has gone with the great combination of Jesse Kriel and Damian De Allende in midfield.
Ethan Hooker and Kurt-Lee Arendse get the nod on the wings, with Damian Willemse returning from a recent injury to start at full-back.
The Springboks head coach said they are not underestimating Italy, who have “quality forwards and backline players”.
“Italy is a quality team that will enter this match with great motivation with an eye on trying to start their home game on a positive note in front of the home crowd, and they have challenged us before, so we have no doubt that they will come out as passionate and driven as ever,” said Erasmus.
“They have quality forwards and a back line, and although they are missing a few key players through injury, they have a talented squad with players who will surely want to make their mark in 2027. Rugby World Cup less than a year, so he will give everything on Saturday.
“The important factors for us, however, will be to be precise in our execution and to play the full 80 minutes, especially given the high stakes at the end of these three pool matches.
“Make no mistake, they will be going very hard, not only with the Nations Cup in mind, but to take full advantage of these games as all the teams involved in the competition prepare for next year’s Rugby World Cup.”
The 53-year-old head coach said they head into a “battle-hardened” group to build on the momentum from July Nations Championship window, and rugby’s greatest rivalry.
“We have three challenging matches ahead of us if we are to make it to the last game of the Finals weekend, so our next three matches will be vital in laying a strong foundation for the tour.
“All our energy for now is focused on the game against Italy. Fortunately, some players from Japan were able to travel to Italy earlier than the rest of the team, so they have been working with some of the coaching staff for a few days now and are fully up to speed, and we had our first training session on Monday afternoon, so now everyone is on the same page.
“Given that most of the team played together for most of the season, we are confident that the players who participated at Vodacom will United Rugby Championship and French Top 14 will take things easy this week in training.
“The fact that they are battle-hardened after a few tough matches will offer us a good balance with fresh players who are raring to go and others who come out for a few challenging matches for their franchises and clubs.”
The Springbok team takes on Italy in Turin:
15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 55 games, 76 points (8t, 9c, 4p, 2dg)
14 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Mitsubishi Dynaboars) – 35 appearances, 135 points (27t)
13 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 94 appearances, 125 points (25t)
12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 103 appearances, 65 points (13t)
11 Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 14 games, 10 points (2t)
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 25 games, 195 points (9t, 50c, 15p)
9 Morne van den Berg (10bet Lions) – 11 games, 37 points (7t, 1c)
8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 50 games, 20 points (4t)
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 102 drops, 75 points (15t)
6 Siya Kolisi (captain, DHL Stormers) – 107 games, 75 points (15t)
5 Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears) – 24 games, 5 points (1t)
4 Salmaan Moerat (Stadion Rochelais) – 11 games, 0 points
3 Thomas du Toit (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 37 games, 10 points (2t)
2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 94 games, 145 points (29t)
1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 53 drops, 5 points (1t)
Replacements:
January 16-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 15 games, 10 points (2t)
17 Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 23 appearances, 10 points (2t)
18 Wilco Louw (DHL Stormers) – 36 games, 10 points (2t)
19 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 78 games, 25 points (5t)
20 Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls) – 6 games, 10 points (2t)
21 Paul de Villiers (DHL Stormers) – 5 games, 5 points (1t)
22 Grant Williams (Kobe Steelers) – 31 games, 40 points (8t)
23 Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners) – 34 games, 149 points (2t, 50c, 13p)
