South Africa v Georgia - Teams and Prediction
PREVIEW: The Springboks face Georgia in Mbombela Stadium on Saturday in a match that many rugby pundits will question.
Who is Georgia in rugby terms, and why would Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus want to play against a second-tier nation?
As with everything else, the Springbok coach doesn’t do anything if there isn’t a lot of thought put into it.
There is method in his madness, and the best word to describe his view of the Lelos is ‘big’.
They are strong, powerful people from a nation of wrestlers, fighters, and weightlifters.
Georgia, a country nestled in the Caucasus region, boasts a rich tapestry of cultural and historical achievements, and its contributions to the world of sports are no exception.
The Lelos have made significant strides on the international rugby scene, and according to their coach Richard Cockerill, they are good enough to play at Europe’s highest level after clinching an eighth successive second-tier Rugby Europe Championship title.
Georgia has risen to 11th in World Rugby’s rankings – one place above Wales, who have dropped to the lowest position in their history after 17 consecutive Test defeats.
The former Leicester forward’s side has now won 17 second-tier titles through the years, and he says they need a greater challenge.
What bigger challenge than South Africa?
Granted, an upset is not on the cards.
Boan Venter, Marnus van der Merwe, and Neethling Fouche will all make their Springbok debuts against Georgia. At the same time, double World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi returns from injury to take over the captaincy for the first time this season.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus plans to expose his new front row to some of the strongest players possible.
*Article continues below…
That is one area of the game where Georgia should not disappoint.
“They are big. They are very big,” Erasmus told reporters this week.
“I don’t think you get bigger people than Georgians. They are some of the biggest players that play in France, that’s why the French are signing so many of them.
“They will be physical.
“We saw against Italy, and we are saying this out of respect, not boasting, if you can put up your hand against South Africa, just because we are currently number one in the world, teams will prove themselves against us.
“The team [Georgia] you saw playing against the Cheetahs – eight guys didn’t play there, who are their top guys.
“That is why we are playing this front row. We want to give Neethling, Boan, and Marnus a sense of what Test rugby is like, and these guys are going to give it to them,” Erasmus explained.
“We’ve learned our lesson by being a bit complacent in those first two Tests. We don’t want to make that mistake again.
“Nobody is underestimating what we will face on Saturday.”
Erasmus named a five-three split in favour of the forwards on the replacements bench, where Thomas du Toit, Vincent Koch (both props), and Bongi Mbonambi (hooker) will serve as the impact front row, along with RG Snyman (lock) and Kwagga Smith (loose forward).
Faf de Klerk (scrumhalf), Handre Pollard, and Damian Willemse (both utility backs), in turn, will provide backline cover.
For now, this match represents Georgia’s best development tools in building towards the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
*Article continues below…
Cockerill is targeting qualification out of the pool stage, a feat Georgia has never managed before.
“We’ve never gotten out of a pool,” he explained.
“Our best result is two wins against Tier 2 nations that were ranked below us. We’ve never beaten a Tier 1 team in the World Cup, but if we’re going to progress, we must.
Cockerill has faith in this group and believes the core of the current squad will qualify for the World Cup. A host of these players also form part of the Black Lion team that competes in the Challenge Cup and is also coached by Cockerill.
“I want to take this group to the World Cup.”
Players to watch:
For South Africa: This will be a litmus test for the new front row of Boan Venter, Marnus van der Merwe, and Neethling Fouche. The rookies are thrown into the deep end against the powerful Georgians, who might not have the big names, but are known for their strength and resilience. The halfback pairing of Grant Williams and Sacha Feinbergh-Mngomezulu will be a delight to watch, while the Bomb Squad will be scrutinised for their impact after the lack thereof in the first Test against Italy. The young, exciting back three (Fassi, Van der Merwe, and Arendse) should score some magnificent tries.
For Georgia: The front row of Irakli Aptsiauri, Vano Karkadze, and Giorgi Akhaladze will want to show they can man up to their reputation as powerful men and what an opportunity against the highly rated Springboks. At flyhalf, Castres’ Luka Matkava has been his team’s points machine since he first caught the eye in 2022 in Georgia’s shock win over Wales. His handling and kicking prowess earned him a call to the 2023 World Cup, where he started three of Georgia’s four games. Captain Berka Saginadze has been a rock for the Lelos. He plays his rugby for Lyon, where he has been a master in defence with exceptional ball carrying in tight spaces. One of the most underappreciated world-class players.
Prediction:
@rugby365: South Africa by 50 points
Teams:
South Africa: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Cobus Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Boan Venter.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 Damian Willemse.
Georgia: 15 Davit Niniashvili, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Demur Tapladze, 12 Giorig Kveseladze,11 Alexander Todua, 10 Luka Matkava, 9 Vasil Lobzhandidze, 8 Ilia Spanderashvili, 7 Beka Saginadze, 6 Luka Ivanishvili, 5 Vladimer Chachanidze, 4 Mikheil Babunashvili, 3 Irakli Aptsiauri, 2 Vano Karkadze, 1 Giorgi Akhaladze.
Replacements: 16 Irakli Kvatadze, 17 Giorgi Tetrashvili, 18 Beka Gigashvili, 19 Demur Epremeidze, 20 Sando Mamamtavrishvili, 21 Tornike Jalagonia, 22 Tedo Abzhandadze, 23 Tornike Kakhoidze
Date: Saturday, July 19
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Kick-off: 17.10 (19.10 Georgia time; 15.10 GMT)
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant referees: Hollie Davidson (Scotland), Adam Leal (England)
TMO: Andrew Jackson (England)
Image by Johan Orton
