England nemesis Pollard misses out as Rassie Erasmus names his Bok side

Cheslin Kolbe and Damian Willemse will both make their 50th appearances for South Africa on Saturday against England in Johannesburg.

The Springboks host Steve Borthwick’s outfit at Ellis Park on Saturday in their first Test match of 2026, and to launch their Nations Championship campaign, with Scotland and Wales to follow.

Despite naming several uncapped players in the recent victory over the Barbarians, Rassie Erasmus has reverted to a tried and tested 23, with only one player in the starting XV possessing fewer than 20 caps – second-row Ruan Nortje.

The Bulls lock will form a second-row partnership with Eben Etzebeth, who has recovered from a hip injury to make the starting XV.

There is less experience on the bench, however, with the one-cap Cameron Hanekom making his return to a Bok line-up for the first time since 2024 following an injury-blighted two years.

Fixture

Nations Championship

South Africa

45 - 21

Full-time

England

All Stats and Data

With fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu currently sidelined with an ankle injury, one of the biggest questions heading into the match was who Erasmus would select in the No.10 jersey. Manie Libbok has been given the keys for this Test, with Handre Pollard failing to make the squad.

Cobus Reinach and Canan Moodie are the two back options among the substitutes, with Andre Esterhuizen reprising his role as a utility option on the bench. With no fly-half cover, Willemse will be the No.10 option should anything happen to Libbok.

With Franco Mostert and Lood de Jager unavailable for this match due to injury and an illness, and the uncapped Riley Norton released from camp due to injury, there is no second-row cover on the bench.

Springboks XV:
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Grant Williams, 1 Ox Nche, 2 Malcolm Marx, 3 Thomas du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Ruan Nortje, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8 Jasper Wiese
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Zach Porthen, 19 Marco van Staden, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Andre Esterhuizen, 23 Canan Moodie