By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has shown faith in the players who steered the team to victory against Italy in Turin last week, making only two changes, to his match-23 to face France in Paris on Friday.
Prop Wilco Louw slots into the starting team, switching places with Thomas du Toit who drops to the bench, and experienced scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, who spent half a decade playing club rugby for Montpellier in France, is drafted onto the bench in place of Grant Williams.
Louw will join forces with Ox Nché and Malcolm Marx in the front row, while Du Toit will link up with Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Gerhard Steenekamp among the replacements.
Lood de Jager and Ruan Nortje will again partner up in the second row after Erasmus was forced to make a late change to his matchday squad in Turin last week following the withdrawal of Salmaan Moerat due to back spasms experienced during the warmup, while the experienced loose trio of captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Jasper Wiese will complete the forward pack.
Erasmus named an identical backline with Morne van den Berg and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at halfback, Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende in the midfield, and Ethan Hooker, Kurt-Lee Arendse, and Damian Willemse serving as the back three.
The Bok coach also retained the split of six forwards and two backs on the bench, where utility forward Franco Mostert and loose forwards Cameron Hanekom and Paul de Villiers, will provide an impact alongside the front row of Wessels, Steenekamp, and Thomas du Toit, while Reinach – who covers scrumhalf and wing – and Manie Libbok have been named as the two backline players.
A total of 16 players in the match-23 featured in the Boks’ 32-17 victory over France in Paris last year, including the entire starting forward pack with the exception of Nche, as well as five of the backs in the run-on team – Feinberg-Mngomezulu, De Allende, Kriel, and Willemse. Ten players in the group were members of the team that defeated France 29-28 in the quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
“We said from the outset that we would not rotate too much on this tour, so it was always our intention to select a settled squad for this game to build momentum in the competition,” said Erasmus.
“Most of these players have faced France at home and know what to expect from them, and they have also experienced their passionate and vocal crowd first-hand.”
Of the two changes to his matchday team, Erasmus said: “Our front rows are well settled and have all been playing together for a few seasons, so we made a rotational switch with Wilco and Thomas, while Cobus is also very familiar with the French conditions as he played club rugby here, so we thought bringing him into the mix would be good against a quality French outfit.”
Commenting on the decision not to name Eben Etzebeth, who arrived in France early on Monday morning in the squad, Erasmus said: “Eben just arrived in France, and although we know what he brings to the team, but we feel it would be better for him to get back into the swing of things this week after some time on the sidelines.”
“Lood and Franco are also very experienced players and they have been training with us for almost two weeks now after arriving in Italy the week prior to last week’s Test match. They’ve both faced France in high pressure matches and delivered, so we know what we have in them and what they will bring to the team this week.”
The Bok coach expected a colossal encounter against France, who pushed the Boks to the limit in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final, and also in their Castle Lager Outgoing Tour match last year, in which the Boks held a one-point lead at the break, and he anticipated another grind of a match.
Springbok starting XV
Damian Willemse, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Ethan Hooker, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Morné van den Berg, Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi, Ruan Nortje, Lood de Jager, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Ox Nché
Bench: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Gerhard Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit, Franco Mostert, Cameron Hanekom, Paul de Villiers, Cobus Reinach, Manie Libbok.