Springboks make 10 changes for Scotland as Rassie swings selection axe

Rassie Erasmus has rung the changes for the Springboks’ Nations Championship clash against Scotland in Pretoria, making 10 alterations to the starting XV that defeated England 45-21 last weekend.

Only five starters from the England victory retain their places in the run-on side: Jesse Kriel, Damian Willemse, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Paul de Villiers and Ruan Nortje.

Du Toit will captain the side again after taking over the role following Siya Kolisi’s late withdrawal last week, while Willemse returns after celebrating his 50th Test appearance against England. De Villiers, meanwhile, keeps his place after making his debut off the bench.

Canan Moodie has been promoted from the replacements to the starting XV, while Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Zach Porthen, Ben-Jason Dixon and Grant Williams are among those retained in the matchday 23.

In the backline, Aphelele Fassi is selected at fullback alongside wings Edwill van der Merwe and Moodie.

Fixture

Nations Championship

South Africa

42 - 28

Full-time

Scotland

All Stats and Data

Kriel continues in midfield but is paired with Willemse, while Handre Pollard and Embrose Papier form the halfback partnership at Loftus Versfeld.

Up front, Boan Venter, Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw make up an entirely new front row. Cobus Wiese comes into the second row alongside Nortje, while De Villiers joins Du Toit and Evan Roos in the back row.

Erasmus has again opted for a six-two bench split. Wessels, Ntuthuko Mchunu and Porthen provide the front-row cover, with Dixon, Vincent Tshituka and Elrigh Louw completing the forward reserves. Williams and Quan Horn are the backline replacements.

A cluster of senior players remains unavailable through injury niggles, including Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Andre Esterhuizen and Ethan Hooker.

“We have good depth in our squad, and this will be a great test for the team,” said Erasmus.

“We told the players from the outset that we would give as many of them a chance as possible to play this season, while we are also trying to manage some players, while others are not available for selection this week, so it was important to select a team with some continuity from last week, while bringing in players we believe will be the right fit for what we are expecting from Scotland.

“They had a good Six Nations campaign, and they come off a victory against Argentina away, so they will be psyched up going into this match.

“All of the players have been working extremely hard at training, and they are fully aware of the threat Scotland poses,” he said.

“Many of these combinations have played together for the Springboks and for their provincial teams this season.

“Many of the players will also be playing at their home ground at Loftus Versfeld, so they know the field and conditions well.”

Looking ahead to the contest, Erasmus added: “They [Scotland] are a quality team, who will test us in all areas of the game, and they are well coached, so they will throw everything they have at us.

“Matches against them are always tough, and looking back, there have been some very close encounters between the sides in the past, so we need to be switched on from the first whistle, be accurate in all departments of the game, and use our opportunities if we want to get the desired result.”

South Africa have won their last nine Tests against Scotland and boast an 83.3 per cent win record in the fixture, having won 25 of 30 meetings between the sides. Saturday’s encounter will also be the first between the nations in Pretoria.

Du Toit will move to within three Tests of becoming a Springbok centurion when he takes the field for his 97th cap, while Pollard returns to the city where he made his Test debut against Scotland in 2014.

The match kicks off at 17:40 local time.

Springboks: 15 Aphelele Fassi; 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Canan Moodie; 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Embrose Papier; 8 Evan Roos, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), 6 Paul de Villiers; 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Cobus Wiese; 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Boan Venter.

Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Zach Porthen, 19 Ben-Jason Dixon, 20 Vincent Tshituka, 21 Elrigh Louw, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Quan Horn.