Springbok lock Salmaan Moerat returns to the starting line-up for Saturday’s Nations Championship clash against Italy in Turin, replacing the injured Eben Etzebeth in the No 4 jersey.
Rassie Erasmus has opted for a settled and experienced Springbok team to face Italy in the opening Nations Championship November Test on Saturday.
Lock Salmaan Moerat, who plies his trade in France, is the only player selected who has not featured for the world champions this season. He takes the No 4 jersey in place of the injured Eben Etzebeth, with Siya Kolisi set to lead the side. No debutants have been included in the side, despite a handful of them being on tour with the Springboks.
With a consistent selection for the clash in Turin, it is clear that Erasmus expects this team to set the tone for their European tour, with the Finals Weekend looming.
Moerat will partner the hard-working Ruan Nortje in the engine room of a physical forward pack, which features the front row of Ox Nche, Thomas du Toit and hooker Malcolm Marx, while captain Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and eighthman Jasper Wiese will pack down behind them in the loose trio.
The Bok backline is equally settled, with half-backs Morné van den Berg and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu set to dictate play alongside the experienced midfield pairing of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel, while Ethan Hooker, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Damian Willemse will form an exciting back three.
Erasmus has opted for a split of six forwards and two backs on the replacements bench. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Gerhard Steenekamp and Wilco Louw will serve as the back-up front row, with Lood de Jager providing lock cover and Cameron Hanekom and Paul de Villiers completing the forward complement, while Grant Williams and Manie Libbok will provide backline support.
The Springboks currently top the Southern Hemisphere standings, tied on 15 points with New Zealand but occupying the number one spot because of a better points difference. The team will travel to Paris next to face France (Friday, 13 November), before heading to Dublin to meet Ireland (Saturday, 21 November) in their final pool match ahead of the Finals Weekend, which concludes on Sunday, 29 November.
“We have three challenging matches ahead if we want to advance to the last game of the Finals Weekend, so our next three matches are going to be vital to lay a strong foundation for the tour,” said Erasmus.
“All our energy is focused on the match against Italy for now. Fortunately, some of the Japan-based players were able to travel to Italy earlier than the rest of the squad, so they have been working with some of the coaching staff for a few days already and are fully in the swing of things, while we had our first training session on Monday afternoon, so everyone is now on the same page.”
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Paul de Villiers, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok.