South Africa’s national rugby team, the Springboks, have announced a major overhaul of their lineup for the upcoming match against Portugal in Bloemfontein. The team will feature 14 changes from the squad that recently faced Ireland, including seven debutants.
Key Takeaways
- 14 Changes: The Springboks have made 14 changes to their starting XV.
- 7 Debutants: Seven players are set to make their debut, three in the starting lineup and four from the bench.
- Leadership: Salmaan Moerat will captain the team for the first time.
- Experienced Core: Despite the changes, the team retains a mix of experienced players.
New Faces in the Starting XV
Three players will make their debut in the starting lineup:
- Jan-Hendrik Wessels: Loosehead prop
- Johan Grobbelaar: Hooker
- Phepsi Buthelezi: Flanker
Debutants on the Bench
Four more players could make their debut from the bench:
- Andre-Hugo Venter: Hooker
- Ruan Venter: Flanker
- Morne van den Berg: Scrumhalf
- Quan Horn: Fullback
Returning Players
Winger Kurt-Lee Arendse is the only player to retain his spot from the previous match against Ireland. Locks Salmaan Moerat and RG Snyman, who were part of the Bomb Squad, also return to the starting XV.
Leadership and Strategy
Salmaan Moerat will lead the Springboks for the first time. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will be on the bench for the third consecutive match, which will have a 5-3 split.
Rassie Erasmus, the team’s coach, emphasized the importance of balancing experience with the need to grow squad depth. "Portugal are a quality team as we saw with their victory against Fiji in the RWC, 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."
Full Squad List
Starting XV
- Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – Uncapped
- Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls) – Uncapped
- Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 18 caps
- Salmaan Moerat (captain, DHL Stormers) – 6 caps
- RG Snyman (Leinster) – 36 caps
- Phepsi Buthelezi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – Uncapped
- Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers) – 1 cap
- Evan Roos (DHL Stormers) – 6 caps
- Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 32 caps
- Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers) – 14 caps
- Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 42 caps
- Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 17 caps
- Lukhanyo Am (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 35 caps
- Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 17 caps
- Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 4 caps
Replacements
- Andre-Hugo Venter (DHL Stormers) – Uncapped
- Ntuthuko Mchunu (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 2 caps
- Trevor Nyakane (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 67 caps
- Ruan Venter (Emirates Lions) – Uncapped
- Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 3 caps
- Morne van den Berg (Emirates Lions) – Uncapped
- Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 3 caps
- Quan Horn (Emirates Lions) – Uncapped
Conclusion
The Springboks’ upcoming match against Portugal will be a test of both new talent and experienced players. With a mix of debutants and seasoned athletes, the team aims to balance immediate performance with long-term squad development.
Sources
- Springboks change 14 for Portugal with 7 debutants, Rugbypass.com.