By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Siya Kolisi has thrown his full support behind the debutants set to take the field on Saturday, when the reigning world champions face Georgia in a once-off Test in Mbombela.
Former Cheetahs trio Boan Venter, Marnus van der Merwe and Neethling Fouché will all make their Test debuts, having been named in the starting line-up as the front-row.
Kolisi, who returns to the starting lineup after missing the first three matches of the season through injury, was quick to back the trio.
“They’ve been training against the likes of Ox [Nche], Wilco [Louw] and Malcolm [Marx], and the players around them have played Test rugby before,” said Kolisi.
“A scrum is not only about the front row – it involves everyone in the pack doing their bit, and everyone knows what they have to do. I’m very proud of the guys earning their first Test caps, and as a group, we feel there is enough experience in the team for them to know we have their backs.”
Kolisi made his Springbok debut at Mbombela Stadium in 2013 and said he couldn’t wait to play again in front of the “amazing crowd”.
“The vibe here is always fantastic. Like in Gqeberha last week, the supporters really got involved and inspired us.We’re very grateful for the energy they bring.”
Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick warned that Georgia’s physicality and set-piece strength cannot be underestimated.
“Georgia are tough – I’ve been there, I’ve seen how passionate and physical their players are,” he said. “But we’re focused on improving our own standards. There’s still room for growth and we want to see that reflected in our performance.”
Saturday’s clash between the Springboks and the Lelos kicks off at 17:10 at the Mbombela Stadium.
Springboks – 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Cobus Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Boan Venter
Replacements – 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 Damian Willemse
Georgia – 15 Davit Niniashvili, 14 Aka Tabutsadze, 13 Demur Tapladze, 12 Giorgi Kveseladze, 11 Sandro Todua, 10 Luka Matkava, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 8 Ilia Spanderashvili, 7 Beka Saginadze (captain), 6 Luka Ivanishvili, 5 Lado Chachanidze, 4 Mikheil Babunashvili, 3 Irakli Aptsiauri, 2 Vano Karkadze, 1 Giorgi Akhaladze
Replacements – 16 Irakli Kvatadze, 17 Giorgi Tetrashvili, 18 Beka Gigashvili, 19 Demur Epremidze, 20 Sandro Mamamtavrishvili, 21 Tornike Jalagonia, 22 Tedo Abzhandadze, 23 Tornike Kakhoidze.