Erasmus goes with the men who beat the All Blacks
Rassie Erasmus named his team for Italy this morning, and the message is simple: no experiments. Siya Kolisi captains the side that runs out in Turin on Saturday in the Nations Championship, and the back three of Damian Willemse, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Ethan Hooker is the same trio that beat the All Blacks in Baltimore.
Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel are paired in the centres for the 49th time in a Test. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu starts at fly-half, with Morne van den Berg returning at scrum-half after coming off the bench against Australia. The starting XV carries 835 caps, the 20th most experienced in Springboks history.
Erasmus did not hide the thinking. He described the selection as built on experience after the Perth trip, where he admitted the team “rolled the dice a little bit” and it did not go well. Preparation has been thin too: he reached Turin on Monday after a World Rugby meeting in London, and around 10 to 12 Japan-based players have only been with some of the coaches since the weekend.
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Moerat starts, Etzebeth is missing
The big call is up front. Eben Etzebeth is not in the 23 and RG Snyman is injured, so Salmaan Moerat starts alongside Ruan Nortje. Moerat is recovering from neck and toe problems, and this is his first cap of the year. Erasmus defended him by saying the pack needs a grinder in the mould of Jean Kleyn or Snyman, and that Moerat fills that job.
Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese make up the back row, the most capped loose trio combination the Boks have used. Thomas du Toit, Malcolm Marx and Ox Nche form the front row. On the bench, Jan-Hendrik Wessels is the hooker cover, and the replacements split six forwards to two backs, with Grant Williams and Manie Libbok the backs.
That 6-2 split matters against this opponent. South Africa played Italy three times last year, and Italy won the breakdown battle in each game, so extra bodies late on look deliberate.
World Cup in the background
Johan Grobbelaar was left out of the touring party, with Wessels and Marco van Staden covering hooker, while Kleyn and Cobus Wiese were not picked. Erasmus says the group is still building toward next year’s World Cup, but he also wants to reach the Nations Championship playoffs or final round. Saturday in Turin is where those two aims meet.
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