Springboks Revamp Squad for Portugal Clash with 7 New Faces

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.