Rassie names uncapped front row for Georgia clash
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus named three front row debutants in a new-look side to face Georgia in Nelspruit on Saturday.
Boan Venter, Marnus van der Merwe, and Neethling Fouche will all make their Springbok debuts against Georgia in Nelspruit on Saturday.
Double World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi returns from injury to take over the captaincy for the first time this season in an exciting squad named by Erasmus for the final Incoming Series match at the Mbombela Stadium.
Venter, who was called up to the squad in June as injury cover at prop, will start in completely new front row with fellow prop Fouche and hooker Van der Merwe, who both had their first taste of Springbok rugby in the team’s 54-7 victory against the Barbarians, while Kolisi features in a loose trio with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Cobus Wiese after missing the last three matches due to niggles.
The three uncapped front rankers will increase the number of newly capped players this season to seven after Vincent Tshituka, Wiese, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, and Ethan Hooker all made their Test debuts against Italy.
Erasmus’ team features only five players who started last week, and eight in total from the match-23 that defeated Italy 45-0 in Gqeberha.
The inclusion of Kolisi and Venter in the squad, meanwhile, increases the size of the group used by Erasmus so far this season to 46 players, with the matchday squad featuring 15 World Cup winners.
The five players who retained their places in the starting lineup are Edwill van der Merwe, Canan Moodie, Grant Williams, Pieter-Steph Du Toit, and Ruan Nortje, while Cobus Wiese and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are promoted from the bench to the starting team, with Thomas du Toit starting among the replacements.
Edwill van der Merwe, who scored two tries in his second match in the green and gold last week, has been named in a playmaking back three with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Aphelele Fassi, while Moodie joins forces with Damian de Allende in the midfield, and Williams pairs up with Feinberg-Mngomezulu at scrumhalf.
Up-front, apart from a new-look front row and rejigged loose trio, Eben Etzebeth will link up with Ruan Nortje in the engine room.
Erasmus named a five-three split in favour of the forwards on the replacements bench, where Thomas du Toit, Vincent Koch and Bongi Mbonambi will serve as the impact front row, along with RG Snyman and Kwagga Smith.
Faf de Klerk, Handre Pollard, and Damian Willemse, in turn, will provide backline cover.
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Erasmus was excited to see the three uncapped players and Kolisi in action and said: “We wanted to make sure that Siya is 100 percent fit before selecting him, so it’s great to have him back in the squad, while Boan, Marnus, and Neethling have been training hard and deserve their chance.
“Marnus and Neethling played against the Barbarians, so they have an idea of what international rugby is about, while Boan has shown great potential at club level and with the squad in the last few weeks, and we are looking forward to seeing him play.”
Erasmus added: “Building squad depth has been one of our pillars as a squad since 2018, and they are all undoubtedly ready to make the step-up.”
Zoning into his team selection, Erasmus said: “We know how passionate and intense this Georgian side is, and they will be determined to make a strong statement, so we selected some experienced players who we would like to get more game time before the Rugby Championship, and a few of the younger players, who have put up their hands another run, so we are pleased with the balance we have in this group.”
The Springboks may have won the last two matches they played against Georgia, the last of which was in 2021 before the British & Irish Lions series, but Erasmus insisted they would not underestimate the visitors.
“Georgia is a tough outfit, and they pride themselves on their physicality and brute force in the collisions, so the set pieces, mauls, and breakdowns will be key areas,” said Erasmus.
“They also have quality backline players to round off their team, so we need to be sharp in all the departments of our game to ensure that we continue to lift our standards, build momentum, and get the desired result.”
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.
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)
