Springbok team to face Italy in Gqeberha attended these SCHOOLS
The new-look team, which will be led by Salmaan Moerat, includes three uncapped players on the bench.
The players in Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus' team in line to make their Test debuts are Asenathi Ntlabakanye (prop), who featured in their 54-7 victory against the Barbarians two weekends ago, Cobus Wiese (utility forward) – brother of No 8 Jasper Wiese – and Ethan Hooker (utility back), who have all been in fantastic form for their respective franchises this year.
With Siya Kolisi being managed as he recovers from a niggle, Moerat will lead the team, which features seven players from the side that defeated Italy 42-24 in Pretoria last week.
Moerat last captained the Springboks in their 2024 Rugby Championship match against the Pumas in Argentina.
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, 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.
Erasmus named an exciting new backline with Edwill van der Merwe and Eastern Cape local Makazole Mapimpi linking up with Le Roux in the back three, while Andre Esterhuizen will partner up with Canan Moodie in the midfield, and Manie Libbok joins forces with Grant Williams at halfback.
Up front, Jasper Wiese and Van Staden form a loose trio combination with Pieter-Steph du Toit, while Ruan Nortje and Moerat will command the engine room, and Thomas du Toit will pack down with Louw and Marx in the front row.
Erasmus named five forwards and three backs on the bench, with Wessels joining fellow front-rowers, Nche and Ntlabakanye, along with the versatile Cobus Wiese and Evan Roos, while Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Hooker will provide backline cover.
Du Toit, Nortje, Williams, Mapimpi, and Roos will all make welcome returns from injuries which ruled them out of action at some stage since last season, while it will also mark a significant occasion for Van der Merwe, who scored a try in his first and only Test cap to date, against Wales in London in the opening game of the 2024 season.
The match kicks off at 17:10.
Below, a look at the SCHOOLS the Springbok squad for Saturday attended: Position Player School 15 Willie le Roux Paul Roos 14 Edwill van der Merwe Paul Roos 13 Canan Moodie Boland Landbou 12 Andre Esterhuizen Klerksdorp 11 Makazole Mapimpi Jim Mvabaza 10 Manie Libbok Outeniqua 9 Grant Williams Paarl Gimnasium 8 Jasper Wiese Upington 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit Swartland 6 Marco van Staden Hoërskool Bekker 5 Ruan Nortje Wonderboom 4 Salmaan Moerat Paarl Boys' High 3 Wilco Louw HTS Drostdy 2 Malcolm Marx KES 1 Thomas du Toit Paarl Boys' High Reserves 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels Grey College 17 Ox Nche HTS Louis Botha 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye St Stithians 19 Cobus Wiese Upington 20 Evan Roos Paarl Boys' High 21 Cobus Reinach Grey College 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu Bishops 23 Ethan Hooker Westville
Paarl Boys' High lead the way with three representatives, while Grey Bloem, Paul Roos and Upington all have two old boys.
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