Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has taken a bold step toward building squad depth by naming four uncapped players in his team to face the Barbarians in the historic first-ever meeting between these sides on South African soil.
The selection for Saturday’s Qatar Airways Cup fixture at Cape Town Stadium sees Lions prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Sharks flanker Vincent Tshituka handed starting debuts, while Scarlets hooker Marnus van der Merwe and Stormers prop Neethling Fouche are poised to earn their first caps from the bench.
“These players have all been impressive at training and for their respective franchises this season,” Erasmus said at yesterday’s announcement. “We hope to see them replicate those quality performances in this match.”
The world champions have assembled a formidable squad despite some selection challenges. Several Bulls players, along with lock RG Snyman and flyhalf Handré Pollard, only joined the camp last week following their involvement in the United Rugby Championship and Gallagher Premiership finals.
Perhaps the most notable inclusion is experienced lock Lood de Jager, who returns for his first Test since facing the All Blacks in the 2023 Rugby Championship. Injuries have limited the 66-cap veteran to just one appearance in the past two seasons.
“Lood is in great form and hopped straight back into the thick of things with the intensity and work rate that we are used to seeing him deliver,” Erasmus noted. “We are thrilled to see him and players like Faf de Klerk and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu who missed a large chunk of last season back from injury.”
Captain Siya Kolisi will lead a starting lineup featuring a blend of experience and fresh talent. The backline sees Aphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe, and Kurt-Lee Arendse forming a dangerous back three, while double World Cup winners Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel pair up in midfield.
The versatile Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who has eight caps to his name, gets the nod at flyhalf, with Lions scrumhalf Morne van den Berg completing the halfback pairing. The loose trio consists of Jean-Luc du Preez, debutant Tshituka, and skipper Kolisi.
Erasmus has opted for a 5-3 split on the bench, with Franco Mostert and Kwagga Smith providing forward cover alongside the newcomers. Cobus Reinach, Manie Libbok, and Andre Esterhuizen complete the replacements.
While no Test caps will be awarded for the match against the invitational Barbarians side, Erasmus emphasized its importance in their season planning: “This is a vital game for us. Our focus will be to get our structures and systems in place for the Test matches coming up.”
The Springboks will follow Saturday’s encounter with Tests against Italy in Pretoria (5 July) and Gqeberha (12 July), before facing Georgia in Nelspruit on 19 July as part of the Castle Lager Incoming Series.
“We know it’s going to take a top-class effort to get the desired result,” Erasmus said of the Barbarians challenge. “A whole lot of players in this squad have played for the Baabaas, and I’ve also coached them before, so we have an idea of what to expect.”
The match against the Barbarians kicks off at 17:10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport, with AJ Jacobs as referee.
The Springbok team to face the Barbarians:
Starting XV:
15 Aphelele Fassi (Sharks), 14 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), 13 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), 12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), 9 Morne van den Berg (Lions), 8 Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks), 7 Vincent Tshituka* (Sharks), 6 Siya Kolisi (captain, Sharks), 5 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), 4 Jean Kleyn (Munster), 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye* (Lions), 2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), 1 Ox Nche (Sharks)
Replacements:
16 Marnus van der Merwe* (Scarlets), 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls), 18 Neethling Fouche* (Stormers), 19 Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), 20 Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), 21 Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), 22 Manie Libbok (Stormers), 23 Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks)
*Uncapped players
