Rassie Erasmus has backed the seven debutants to see the Springboks bounce back from a disappointing result against Ireland when they tackle Portugal in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Erasmus has named seven uncapped players in the matchday-23 for the historic first-ever Test against Portugal, which will also be the first time the Boks have been refereed by a woman, with Scotland’s Hollie Davidson taking the whistle.
TEAM: Moerat leads new-look Boks
Former Junior Springbok captain Phepsi Buthelezi (flanker), Johan Grobbelaar (hooker) and Jan-Hendrik Wessels (prop) will start, while Andre-Hugo Venter (hooker), Ruan Venter (loose forward), Morne van den Berg (scrumhalf) and Quan Horn (fullback) could be in line to make their Test debuts from the replacements’ bench.
Portugal have been steadily climbing the world rankings, rising from 27th at the start of 2019 to their present ranking of 15th, and made a notable impression at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
“Portugal are a quality team as we saw with their victory against Fiji in the World Cup, while they also drew their clash against Georgia 18-18,” said Erasmus.
“It was important for us to select a quality team with a bunch of experienced players, while at the same time delivering on our objective of growing our squad depth by naming a few debutants.”
Erasmus said he was pleased to be able to hand the captaincy to Salmaan Moerat, whose track record as a captain was a testament of his abilities as a fine leader.
“Salmaan commands respect from his teammates, so we’d like to congratulate him on this achievement, and we have no doubt that he’ll take on this responsibility as well as he has for the other teams he has led.
“He has come through the SA Rugby ranks and he went on to captain the Junior Springboks and SA Schools teams, as well as the DHL Stormers and Western Province, which speaks volumes about his quality as a player and a captain.”
The match also marks the first appearance of the Test season for World Cup winners Lukhanyo Am (centre), Manie Libbok (flyhalf), Cobus Reinach (scrumhalf), Trevor Nyakane and Thomas du Toit (props).
Eight players were members of the match-23 that defeated Wales 41-13 in London in the team’s opening match of the season in June: Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Aphelele Fassi (fullback), Makazole Mapimpi (wing), Andre Esterhuizen (centre), Evan Roos, Ben-Jason Dixon (both loose forwards), Moerat, and Ntuthuko Mchunu (prop).
“Most of the so-called younger players have been exposed to Test rugby in one way or another by either playing against Wales or Ireland or have been around the squad so they are all well aware of the standards we expect on the field and the way we do things,” said Erasmus.
“All of the uncapped players, apart from Ruan Venter, were also members of our training squad in June, and we were very impressed with the way they fitted into our structures and their work ethic. We have full faith in their abilities, and we’re excited to see what they offer on the field on Saturday.
“The squad also includes a few World Cup winners and experienced campaigners, who will play a vital role in guiding the young players and keeping things calm in the pressure situations.”
Erasmus added that he expected a fierce battle against Portugal.
“This occasion will really excite them, and they’ll certainly give everything to make a statement for the Tier Two nations, so we have to deliver a top-quality performance to get a result.
“This match is also an opportunity for us to work on what went wrong last week and finish the Incoming Series on a high note, so we will treat them and the occasion with the respect it deserves.
“There are no easy games in Test rugby, and for us personally, it’s important to live up to our standards and build momentum going into the Rugby Championship.”
Photo: Paul Harding/Gallo Images
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