Rassie Erasmus has made sweeping changes to his matchday 23 for the second Test match against Italy, with Willie Le Roux becoming the eighth Springbok centurion.
Le Roux earns his 100th cap for South Africa after being named as the starting full-back for the clash at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, with Erasmus making 11 changes to his run-on team.
Springboks lock Salmaan Moerat will captain the team, taking over the duties from centre Jesse Kriel, while the Boks continue to manage regular skipper Siya Kolisi as he recovers from a nigglesome neck injury.
Seven players in total will feature in both Tests against the Azzurri but only four have retained starting roles from the 42-24 victory in Pretoria while three players are in line to make their debuts from the bench.
Wholesale changes
Cobus Wiese, – brother of No 8 Jasper Wiese – utility back Ethan Hooker and tighthead prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye, who featured in the uncapped 54-7 victory over the Barbarians, are set to debut from the bench.
The seven players who will face the Azzurri for the second week in a row are Le Roux, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Marco van Staden and Jasper Wiese, all of whom have been named in the starting XV, while Ox Nche and Jan-Hendrik Wessels will make an impact off the replacements bench.
Joining Le Roux in the back-three in his 100th Test match is veteran winger Makazole Mapimpi, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, and livewire winger Edwill van der Merwe – earning his second cap after debuting against Wales last year.
Andre Esterhuizen combines with Canan Moodie in the midfield while the new-look backline is completed by half-backs Manie Libbok and Grant Williams, the latter recovering from an injury that saw him miss the latter stages of the Sharks’ season.
Up-front, loose forward Wiese starts alongside 2024 World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit, who hasn’t played since November, while van Staden retains the starting number six jumper.
Moerat partners Ruan Nortje in the second row while Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw remain at hooker and starting tighthead respectively with Thomas du Toit coming in at loosehead.
Erasmus has opted for the traditional 5-3 split on the bench with Jan-Hendrik Wessels shifting from the 17 jersey to the 16, in order to cover hooker while Ox Nche and Ntlabakanye provide propping cover.
Cobus Wiese and Evan Roos provided back-five forward impacts while Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Hooker are the replacement backs.
‘No better way to do it’ – Jasper Wiese dreams of first Springboks outing with brother
Rassie hails Le Roux
“Willie has been a stalwart for us in the last few years after making his debut against Italy in Durban in 2013, and he’s a fantastic playmaker, so we are thrilled to see him achieve this incredible feat,” Erasmus said.
“Adding to that, 13 players in this squad have won a World Cup before, 11 of whom are in the starting lineup and two on the bench, and that shows the depth we have as we continue to build our squad for the next few seasons and ultimately the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
“What makes this squad particularly exciting is that many of them have done the job for us before on the biggest stage, while Edwill has been knocking hard on the door since making his debut last season, and other players such as Asenathi, Cobus, and Ethan have made a fantastic impression on us both at their franchises and at training, and they certainly deserve this opportunity.”
Erasmus was also excited for the Wiese brothers, who will become the 37th set of brothers to play for the Springboks. The last pair were Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse.
On the match, he added: “We had an honest and thorough review of last week’s game, and we know that we must improve in every department to get the desired result and do everything we can to make this game special for Willie, the debutantes, and the country.”
Springboks team v Italy
South Africa:15 Willie le Roux, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Salmaan Moerat (c), 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Thomas du Toit
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Evan Roos, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Ethan Hooker
Date: Saturday, July 12
Kick-off: 17:10 (local), 16:10 (UK)
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley (RFU), Hollie Davidson (SRU)
TMO: Tual Training (FFR)
FPRO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)