\n CAPE TOWN, South Africa, July 3, 2024\/APO Group\/ —
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Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus named an experienced squad featuring 20 Rugby World Cup-winners \u2013 the entire starting 15 and five players on the replacements\u2019 bench \u2013 for their opening Castle Lager Incoming Series Test against Ireland at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, in what is expected to be a humdinger of an encounter between the top two ranked teams in the world.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The three players in the match-day 23 who did not participate in the international spectacle in France, where the Springboks claimed their second successive RWC title, are Gerhard Steenekamp (prop), Salmaan Moerat (lock) and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (utility back), who are elevated to a selection featuring a six-two bench split in favour of the forwards.<\/p>\n
Twelve of the starting XV for Saturday\u2019s showdown (six forwards and six backs) started in the 12-11 RWC final victory over New Zealand, with the other three (Willie le Roux, Kwagga Smith and Ox Nche) coming off the bench in the final.<\/p>\n
The selection of previously unavailable players means that the team shows eight changes to the one that defeated Wales by 41-13 in London 10 days ago as Erasmus welcomed back captain Siya Kolisi, Le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Handre Pollard, Marco van Staden, RG Snyman and Steenekamp.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the team we believe will give us the impetus we need against Ireland, who are the second highest ranked team in the world,\u201d said Erasmus.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are blessed to have a lot of depth in our squad, and we are in a fortunate position to have several Rugby World Cup-winners in our ranks who know what it takes to perform at the highest level and play against the best teams in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that most of these guys have played together is a bonus for us, and most of them have faced Ireland before so they are well aware of the challenge that lies ahead, especially since we haven\u2019t beaten them since 2016.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erasmus said he was in a fortunate position to be able to call on so much Rugby World Cup winning experience: \u201cIt\u2019s great to be in such a position, and while it may serve as a mental boost, Ireland are a quality outfit and they\u2019ll come out guns blazing. This is a new year for us with new systems in place, so while it certainly helps that most of the players have won a World Cup or two, this is a fresh chapter for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erasmus said he was excited to see what dimension Steenekamp, Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Moerat would bring to the game \u2013 in what will mark Steenekamp and Feinberg-Mngomezulu\u2019s second Test matches \u2013 and said: \u201cGerhard made a strong statement in the front row against Argentina in Buenos Aires last year and we were equally pleased with how easily Sacha slotted in and the contribution he made against Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cSacha, similarly to Grant (Williams), also offers us additional options in the backline, as he can cover flyhalf and centre, while Grant is efficient at scrumhalf and wing, which places us in a good position with the six-two split.<\/p>\n
\u201cSalmaan, in turn, may only have a few Test caps, but he\u2019s a former Junior Springbok captain, he captained the DHL Stormers, and like Sacha, he came through our Elite Player Development (EPD) system, so they have been exposed to the way we do things at this level for some time now.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis match will test their skills, but they are all quality players, in whom we have full faith, and it doesn\u2019t get better to experience that against a team like Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erasmus expected a physical onslaught from the visitors in front of a sold-out Loftus Versfeld crowd and said it would be a full-out battle for 80 minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIreland have had the upper hand over us in the last few years and they will certainly want to build on that on Saturday,\u201d said Erasmus. \u201cThat said, we have a good idea of what to expect from them, especially after the World Cup last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have a few new players in their ranks this year, but so do we and that contributes to the excitement for the match. They are a physical team that never give up, but the margins between the teams are fairly small, so it\u2019s going to be an intense battle and one that will require a resolute performance for the full 80 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Springbok team to face Ireland at Loftus Versfeld:<\/strong><\/p>\n 15 \u2013 Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) \u2013 93 caps, 75 pts (15t)<\/p>\n 14 \u2013 Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) \u2013 31 caps, 91 points (14t, 3c, 5p)<\/p>\n 13 \u2013 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) \u2013 67 caps, 80 points (16t)<\/p>\n 12 \u2013 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) \u2013 78 caps, 55 points (11t)<\/p>\n 11 \u2013 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 15 caps, 65 points (13t)<\/p>\n 10 \u2013 Handr\u00e9 Pollard (Leicester Tigers) \u2013 69 caps, 698 points (7t, 96c, 152p, 5dg)<\/p>\n 9 \u2013 Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles) \u2013 56 caps, 50 points (5t, 5c, 5pg)<\/p>\n 8 \u2013 Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) \u2013 41 caps, 35 pts (7t)<\/p>\n 7 \u2013 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) 78 caps, 40 points (8t)<\/p>\n 6 \u2013 Siya Kolisi (captain, Racing 92) \u2013 83 caps, 50 points (10t)<\/p>\n 5 \u2013 Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) \u2013 74 caps, 15 points (3t)<\/p>\n 4 \u2013 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) \u2013 120 caps, 30 points (6t)<\/p>\n 3 \u2013 Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) \u2013 70 caps, 5 points (1t)<\/p>\n 2 \u2013 Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) \u2013 69 caps, 70 points (14t)<\/p>\n 1 \u2013 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) \u2013 28 caps, 0 pts<\/p>\n Replacements:<\/strong><\/p>\n 16 \u2013 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) \u2013 65 caps, 85 points (17t)<\/p>\n 17 \u2013 Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) \u2013 1 cap, 0 points<\/p>\n 18 \u2013 Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) \u2013 50 caps, 5 points (1t)<\/p>\n 19 \u2013 Salmaan Moerat (DHL Stormers) \u2013 4 caps, 0 points<\/p>\n 20 \u2013 RG Snyman (Leinster) \u2013 34 caps, 10 points (2t)<\/p>\n 21 \u2013 Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) \u2013 18 caps, 0 pts<\/p>\n 22 \u2013 Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) \u2013 9 caps, 10 points (2t)<\/p>\n 23 \u2013 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) \u2013 1 cap, 7 points (2c, 1p)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Stats and facts: <\/strong><\/p>\n Springbok record against Ireland:<\/strong><\/p>\n Played 28, Won 18, Lost 9, Drawn 1. Points for: 530; Points against: 412. Tries scored: 72; Tries conceded: 38. Highest score: 38; Biggest win: 38 points (38-0). Average score: 19-15. Win %: 64.2%.<\/p>\n Miscellaneous:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n