Erasmus names new-look Bok side to face Scotland

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus stayed true to his objective to give as many players in his squad the opportunity to put up their hands at the highest level this season, as he made 10 changes to his starting team for Saturday’s Nations Championship Test against Scotland in Pretoria.

In total, 10 of the players in the match-23 from the England Test were retained as the Bok coach looks to balance consistency with spreading the workload within his squad for the challenging season, which also includes Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry in August and September.

The five players retained in the starting XV that defeated England 45-21 last weekend are Jesse Kriel, Damian Willemse, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Paul de Villiers, and Ruan Nortje.

Willemse played his 50^th Test and De Villiers made his Test debut against England, while Du Toit will retain the captaincy he took over following the late withdrawal of Siya Kolisi.

The other players who will get another run are Canan Moodie, who moves from the bench to the starting team, and Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Zach Porthen, Ben-Jason Dixon, and Grant Williams, who have been named on the bench.

The backline named by Erasmus has a fresh look to it, with Aphelele Fassi forming a back three with Edwill van der Merwe and Moodie, while Kriel joins forces with Willemse in the midfield, and the halfback duo of Handre Pollard and Embrose Papier will dictate play on their home ground at Loftus Versfeld.

The changes to Erasmus’ forward pack will see Boan Venter, Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw, form the front row, while Cobus Wiese will partner up with Nortje at lock.

De Villiers, who stepped in as a replacement for the injured Kolisi in his first Test last week, will have another run in the green and gold in a loose trio with Du Toit and Evan Roos.

The replacements bench features a split of six forwards and two backs, with Wessels joining up with Ntuthuko Mchunu and Porthen in the front row, while Dixon, Vincent Tshituka, and Elrigh Louw will provide additional forward cover. The two backline players on the bench are Williams and Quan Horn.

Kolisi (flanker), Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager (both locks), Franco Mostert (utility forward), Ox Nche (prop), Andre Esterhuizen (who covers centre and flanker), and Ethan Hooker (wing) remain unavailable for selection this week due to their respective niggles.

“We have good depth in our squad, and this will be a great test for the team,” said Erasmus.

“We told the players from the outset that we would give as many of them a chance as possible to play this season, while we are also trying to manage some players, while others are not available for selection this week, so it was important to select a team with some continuity from last week, while bringing in players we believe will be the right fit for what we are expecting from Scotland.

“They had a good Six Nations campaign, and they come off a victory against Argentina away, so they will be psyched up going into this match.”

Erasmus added: “All of the players have been working extremely hard at training, and they are fully aware of the threat Scotland poses. Many of these combinations have played together for the Springboks and for their provincial teams this season.

“Many of the players will also be playing at their home ground at Loftus Versfeld, so they know the field and conditions well.”

Commenting on what they expected from Scotland, Erasmus said: “They are a quality team, who will test us in all areas of the game, and they are well coached, so they will throw everything they have at us.

“Matches against them are always tough, and looking back, there have been some very close encounters between the sides in the past, so we need to be switched on from the first whistle, be accurate in all departments of the game, and use our opportunities if we want to get the desired result.”

The match kicks off at 17h40 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Springbok team to face Scotland in Pretoria:

15 Aphelele Fassi (Toshiba) – 15 caps, 35 pts (7t)

14 Edwill van der Merwe (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 5 caps, 25 pts (5t)

13 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 88 caps, 105 pts (21t)

12 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 50 caps, 71 pts (7t, 9c, 4p, 2dg)

11 Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 24 caps, 45 pts (9t)

10 Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls) – 85 caps, 825 pts (8t, 124c, 174p, 5dg)

9 Embrose Papier (Vodacom Bulls) – 7 caps, 0 pts

8 Evan Roos (DHL Stormers) – 8 caps, 0 pts

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain, Toyota Verblitz) – 96 caps, 70 pts (14t)

6 Paul de Villiers (DHL Stormers) – 1 cap, 0 pts

5 Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears) - 19 caps, 5 pts (1t)

4 Cobus Wiese (Vodacom Bulls) – 2 caps, 0 pts

3 Wilco Louw (DHL Stormers) – 29 caps, 10 pts (2t)

2 Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls) – 8 caps, 0 pts

1 Boan Venter (Fidelity Securedrive Lions) – 8 caps, 5 pts (1t)

Replacements:

16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 10 caps, 10 pts (2t)

17 Ntuthuko Mchunu (DHL Stormers) – 3 caps, 0 pts

18 Zach Porthen (DHL Stormers) - 4 caps, 0 pts

19 Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers) – 8 caps, 10 pts (2t)

20 Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 1 cap, 0 pts

21 Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 13 caps, 5 pts (1t)

22 Grant Williams (Kobe Steelers) – 29 caps, 40 pts (8t)

23 Quan Horn (Fidelity Securedrive Lions) – 1 cap, 5 pts (1t)

Stats and facts:

Springbok record against Scotland

Played 30, Won 25, Lost 5. Points for: 792, Points against: 339. Tries scored: 96, Tries conceded: 32. Highest score 68, Biggest win 58 points, Average score: 26-11. Win %: 83.3%.

Miscellaneous:

• The Springboks have won nine successive Tests against Scotland since losing 21-17 at Murrayfield in 2010, which marked only their second defeat against the Scots since the game turned professional.
• Pieter-Steph du Toit, who will lead the Boks for second time in as many weeks, requires only four more Test appearances after this match to earn his 100^th Test.
• This will mark the first time the Springboks face Scotland in Pretoria. The teams have only met six times in South Africa, with the Boks winning all of those matches.
• This will be Scotland’s fifth Test at Loftus Versfeld though – they played Italy there in a quadrangular series in 2013, as well as three matches at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, including a 48-30 quarter-final defeat against New Zealand.
• This match will mark the first time the Springboks face Scotland in South Africa since 2014, with that match being played in Gqeberha, where the Boks won 55-6 and Handre Pollard made his Test debut.
• The only match the teams have ever played on the Highveld was in Johannesburg in 2003, which the home side won 28-19.
• The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 445.
• There are274 caps in the backline, with 171 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further69 caps.
• The average caps per player in the backline is39, the forwards 21, while the players on the bench average 9.