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TimesLIVE
7 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Bok coach Erasmus hints at changes for second Test against Italy
Azzurri 'manned up in most departments — scrums, mauling, defence, attack. It was a proper Test match' Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has hinted he will ring a number of changes for the second match of the Incoming Test Series against Italy at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Saturday. South Africa started their international season with a 42-24 win over the Azzurri at a vibey Loftus but Erasmus was not entirely satisfied because they did not put their visitors to the sword. The Boks scored six tries to Italy's three but couldn't build on a commanding 28-3 halftime lead and Erasmus expressed his frustration with the team's performance in front of a good-sized crowd in Pretoria. South Africa's tries were scored by Jesse Kriel, Morne van den Berg (2), Kurt-Lee Arendse, Vincent Koch and Marco van Staden while Italy responded through Manuel Zuliani, Pablo Dimcheff and Niccolo Cannone. Boks coach Rassie Erasmus to make changes for 2nd Test against Italy in Gqeberha. WATCH full press conference ➡️➡️➡️ — Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) July 6, 2025 'Internally we have about 13 or 14 players that we said we will give a run to this week. We will build the bench or starting line-up around those guys and some of them we have already announced internally,' Erasmus said after the match. 'Some of them will move to the bench and some of the standouts from this match might start again. We won't discard some of the guys who played in this match, it is just the makeup of the team. 'Italy threw a lot of physicality at us. Normally you think a team that makes 120 tackles in the first half would break in the second half. They are a team that is fit and passionate.' Erasmus said the team the Boks will field on Saturday must be imposing and go the distance. Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and stand-in captain Jesse Kriel reflects on win over Italy. WATCH full press conference ➡️➡️➡️ — Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) July 5, 2025 'We have to make sure the team we are going to pick this week is not just a team that can go 50 or 60 minutes but it must be a team that can go for 80 minutes. 'The other nine guys that we must pick will either be in the starting line-up, someone like Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] will be back. We will see who is the other nine, maybe play a guy like Cobus [Reinach] or Grant [Williams]. 'We will just have to fine-tune now and take stock of injuries. I see Damian de Allende has some sort of a hamstring [problem] but there are no serious injuries to report on, it is just niggles.' Though he was not happy with the performance, Erasmus accepted the result. 'I guess it's a positive we scored six tries, but we are frustrated. I didn't pick up in the week this was the way we were going to perform but it's all fixable — but it's definitely frustrating. 'It was a very frustrating game. We knew they would man up, and they certainly manned up in most departments — scrums, mauling, defence, attack. It was a proper Test match. 'When we were 28-3 up and we scored that try that was disallowed for obstruction, I thought we might have them, but then we lost some momentum. I don't think we have too many excuses and it certainly makes the selection for next week interesting — they could easily have come back into it at the end. 'They performed really well — we definitely tried to impose our game on them and they didn't allow it. The frustration was not only about not dominating, but also that the game was stop-start, stop-start. It felt like we didn't get any intensity in the second half. 'The positives are that we won, that we scored tries — even with a maul that didn't function, even with a breakdown that wasn't great on attack, even with a counterattack that wasn't awesome, we still scored six tries.'
The South African
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Tshituka to make Test debut for Springboks against Italy
Vincent Tshituka will make his Test debut in an experienced match-23 named by Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus for Saturday's Incoming Test Series opener against Italy in Pretoria. Erasmus named a squad that feature 13 players who defeated the Barbarians 54-7 in Cape Town, and with regular Springbok captain Siya Kolisi out after picking up a niggle last week, Jesse Kriel retains the captaincy, making him the 67th Springbok captain. Eben Etzebeth, who is back from injury, will serve as vice-captain in the clash. The Test will mark a significant occasion for Damian Willemse, who returns to the Bok fold for the first time since the Rugby World Cup final after a series of injuries curtailed his 2024 season, while a suspension for a dangerous tackle saw him miss the outing against the Barbarians. To Erasmus' delight, Faf de Klerk, who last wore the green and gold jersey against Ireland in 2024 before his season was cut short by injury, will also return to the field along with Jasper Wiese. Erasmus opted for largely the same backline that played against the Barbarians, with the only new players being Rugby World Cup winners Willemse at fullback and Handre Pollard at flyhalf, where the latter will pair up with exciting scrumhalf Morne van den Berg. Willemse, meanwhile, will form an exciting back three with wingers Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, while Damian de Allende and Kriel retain their places in the midfield. There are three personnel changes in the forward pack, with Wiese replacing Jean-Luc du Preez, whose wife is expecting a child, while Etzebeth takes over from the injured Jean Kleyn in the engine room, and Wilco Louw will start at tighthead prop in a front row with Ox Nche and Malcolm Marx. Erasmus opted for a split of six forwards and two backs on the replacements bench, where experienced hooker Bongi Mbonambi will provide front row cover with props Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Vincent Koch, along with lock RG Snyman and utility forwards Franco Mostert and Kwagga Smith. The two backline players on the bench are De Klerk and Willie le Roux, who will earn his 99th Test cap if he takes the field, taking him one Test closer to joining the exclusive club of Springbok centurions. By: SA Rugby SPRINGBOKS – 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel (c), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche. Bench: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Franco Mostert, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Faf de Klerk, 23 Willie le Roux. WHICH SIDE – BETWEEN THE SPRINGBOKS AND ITALY – WILL WIN ON SATURDAY? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
