The three Matchday 23 players who did not feature in the international spectacle in France, where the Springboks won their second successive RWC title, are Gerhard Steenekamp (prop), Salmaan Moerat (lock) and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (utility return). ), who move up in a pick with a six-two bench split in favor of forwards.
Twelve of the starting XV for Saturday’s clash (six forwards and six backs) started in the 12-11 RWC final win over New Zealand, with the other three (Willie le Roux, Kwagga Smith and Ox Nche) coming off the bench in the final. .
The selection of previously unavailable players means the team makes eight changes from the one that beat Wales 41-13 in London 10 days ago, as Erasmus welcome back captains Siya Kolisi, Le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe , Kurt-Lee Arendse, Handre Pollard, Marco van Staden, RG Snyman, and Steenekamp.
“This is the team we believe will give us the boost we need against Ireland, who are the second highest ranked team in the world,” said Erasmus.
“We are blessed to have a lot of depth in our squad and we are in a fortunate position to have many Rugby World Cup winners in our ranks who know what it takes to play at the highest level and play against the best teams in the world.
“The fact that most of these lads have played together is a bonus for us, and most of them have faced Ireland before, so they are well aware of the challenge ahead, especially since we haven’t beaten them since 2016 ».
Erasmus said he was in a fortunate position to gain so much Rugby World Cup experience: “It’s great to be in a position like this and while it can serve as a mental boost, Ireland are a quality outfit and they’re going to come out guns blazing arms. This is a new year for us with new systems, so while it certainly helps that most of the players have won a World Cup or two, this is a new chapter for us.”
Erasmus said he was excited to see what dimension Steenekamp, Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Moerat would bring to the game – in what will mark Steenekamp and Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s second Test matches – and said: “Gerhard put in a strong statement in the first row against Argentina. in Buenos Aires last year and we were equally pleased with how easily Sasha slotted in and his contribution against Wales.
Sacha, like Grant (Williams), gives us extra options in the back line as he can cover flyhalf and centre, while Grant is effective at scrumhalf and on the wing, which puts us in a good position with the split six to two.
“Salmaan, in turn, may only have a handful of Test caps but he is a former Junior Springbok captain, he captained the DHL Stormers and like Sacha, he came through the Elite Player Development (EPD) system, so they have been exposed to the way we have been doing things at this level for quite some time.
“This match will test their mettle but they are all quality players who we have full faith in and there is no better way to experience that against a team like Ireland.”
Erasmus expected a physical onslaught from the visitors in front of a sold-out Loftus Versfeld crowd and said it would be an all-out battle for 80 minutes.
“Ireland have had the upper hand on us in recent years and will certainly want to build on that on Saturday,” said Erasmus. “Having said that, we have a good idea of what to expect from them, especially after the World Cup last year.
“They have a few young players in their ranks this year but so do we and that adds to the excitement for the game. They are a physical team who never give up, but the margins between the teams are quite small, so it will be a tight battle and will require a determined performance for the full 80 minutes.”
Springbok squad to face Ireland at Loftus Versfeld:
15 – Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) – 93 appearances, 75 points (15t)
14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) – 31 games, 91 points (14t, 3c, 5p)
13 – Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 67 games, 80 points (16t)
12 – Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 78 games, 55 points (11t)
11 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 15 appearances, 65 points (13t)
10 – Handré Pollard (Leicester Tigers) – 69 games, 698 points (7t, 96c, 152p, 5dg)
9 – Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles) – 56 games, 50 points (5t, 5c, 5pg)
8 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 41 games, 35 points (7t)
7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) 78 appearances, 40 points (8t)
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Racing 92) – 83 caps, 50 points (10t)
5 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 74 appearances, 15 points (3t)
4 – Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 120 appearances, 30 points (6t)
3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 70 caps, 5 points (1t)
2 – Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 69 appearances, 70 points (14t)
1 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 28 appearances, 0 points
Substitutions:
16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 65 games, 85 points (17t)
17 – Gerhard Steenkamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 1 cap, 0 points
18 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 50 games, 5 points (1t)
19 – Salmaan Moerat (DHL Stormers) – 4 appearances, 0 points
20 – RG Snyman (Leinster) – 34 caps, 10pts (2t)
21 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 18 appearances, 0 points
22 – Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 9 games, 10 points (2t)
23 – Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 1 cap, 7 points (2c, 1p)
Statistics and Facts:
Springbok record against Ireland:
Played 28, Won 18, Lost 9, Draw 1. Points for: 530; Points Against: 412. Tries Scored: 72; Attempts Conceded: 38. Highest Score: 38; Biggest win: 38 points (38-0). Average rating: 19-15. Win rate: 64.2%.
Difference:
- Only two players in the forward pack – Ox Nche and Kwagga Smith – have fewer than 69 Test caps.
- Only one back-row player has fewer than 30 Tests, namely Kurt-Lee Arendse.
- Only three players in the squad were not part of the RWC winning team (Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Salmaan Moerat, Gerhard Steenekamp).
- Willie le Roux needs just six Test caps after Saturday’s game to join the elite club of Springbok centurions.
- The total Test caps for the Springbok starting XI are 966, the second most experienced team ever selected by South Africa after the 987-cap squad for the RWC final last year.
- There are 403 caps on back line, with 563 caps between strikers. On the counter there are a further 182
- The average appearances per player in the back line is 57the attackers 70while bench players on average 22.