Erasmus named a squad that feature 13 players who defeated the Barbarians 54-7 in Cape Town, and with regular Springbok captain Siya Kolisi out after picking up a niggle last week, Kriel retains the captaincy, making him the 67th Springbok captain. Eben Etzebeth, who is back from injury, will serve as vice-captain in the clash.
The Test will mark a significant occasion for Damian Willemse, who returns to the Bok fold for the first time since the Rugby World Cup final after a series of injuries curtailed his 2024 season, while a suspension for a dangerous tackle saw him miss the outing against the Barbarians.
To Erasmus’ delight, Faf de Klerk, who last wore the green and gold jersey against Ireland in 2024 before his season was cut short by injury, will also return to the field along with Jasper Wiese.
Erasmus opted for largely the same backline that played against the Barbarians, with the only new players being Rugby World Cup winners Willemse at fullback and Handre Pollard at flyhalf, where the latter will pair up with exciting scrumhalf Morne van den Berg.
Willemse, meanwhile, will form an exciting back three with wingers Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, while Damian de Allende and Kriel retain their places in the midfield.
Vincent Tshituka will make his Test debut against Italy.
There are three personnel changes in the forward pack, with Wiese replacing Jean-Luc du Preez, whose wife is expecting a child, while Etzebeth takes over from the injured Jean Kleyn in the engine room, and Wilco Louw will start at tighthead prop in a front row with Ox Nche and Malcolm Marx.
Erasmus opted for a split of six forwards and two backs on the replacements bench, where experienced hooker Bongi Mbonambi will provide front row cover with props Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Vincent Koch, along with lock RG Snyman and utility forwards Franco Mostert and Kwagga Smith.
The two backline players on the bench are De Klerk and Willie le Roux, who will earn his 99th Test cap if he takes the field, taking him one Test closer to joining the exclusive club of Springbok centurions.
“We have a big squad, and we would like to balance the game time within the group, while at the same time maintaining continuity in selection, and we believe this is the team that will be best suited for what we want to achieve against Italy,” said Erasmus.
“We are also fortunate to have a few experienced players back from injury, who will be keen to make their mark in the game.”
Jesse Kriel will become the Boks’ 67th Test captain on Saturday.
Commenting on Kolisi’s injury, Erasmus said: “Siya unfortunately picked up a niggle, but Marco did a good job at flanker last week and he is one of the core players in our team, so we are blessed to have such depth in the squad.”
Erasmus added: “If one goes through this team, there are so many leaders, and we were impressed with how Jesse accepted the responsibility of wearing the captain’s armband last week. He is a player who leads by example on and off the field, and he thoroughly deserves this honour.”
The Bok coach was also delighted for Tshituka, who delivered a strong performance against the Barbarians last week in which he scored two tries in his first game in the Bok jersey.
“Vincent has fitted into our structures really well and he showed last week that he has the potential to play Test rugby, so we are excited to see what he can do against Italy and to see him make his debut,” said the Bok coach.
Commenting on what he expected against Italy, Erasmus said: “They are a quality team with a strong pack and quality backs, and their passion for the team and their country is incredible, so we expect them to throw everything at us.
Damian Willemse’s last Test was the RWC Final in Paris in 2023.
“They also play an exciting brand of rugby, so it will be important for us to stick to our structures and deliver a quality performance all around to get the desired result.”
The match kicks off at 17h10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Springbok team to face Italy in Pretoria:
15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 39 caps, 56 points (4t, 9c, 4p, 2 dg)
14 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) – 40 caps, 111 points (18t, 3c, 5p)
13 Jesse Kriel (captain, Canon Eagles) – 79 caps, 90 points (18t)
12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 87 caps, 55 points (11t)
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 24 caps, 90 points (18t)
10 Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls) – 80 caps, 772 points (7t, 109c, 168p, 5dg)
9 Morne van den Berg (Emirates Lions) – 2 caps, 0 points
8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 34 caps, 10 points (2t)
7 Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – uncapped
6 Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 25 caps, 10 points (2t)
5 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 66 caps, 25 points (5t)
4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 131 caps, 35 points (7t)
3 Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 16 caps, 0 points
2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 76 caps, 105 points (21t)
1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 39 caps, 0 points
Replacements:
16 Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 77 caps, 70 points (14t)
17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 3 caps, 5 points (1t)
18 Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 61 caps, 0 points
19 RG Snyman (Leinster) – 40 caps, 10 points (2t)
20 Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 78 caps, 20 points (4t)
21 Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 51 caps, 45 points (9t)
22 Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles) – 58 caps, 50 points (5t, 5c, 5p)
23 Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) – 98 caps, 75 points (15t)
Stats and facts:
Springbok record against Italy:
Played 16; Won 15; Lost 1; Points for: 764, Points against: 195; Tries scored 102, Tries conceded 16; Highest score 101-0; Biggest win 101 points. Win % 94%.
Miscellaneous:
- The Boks have played Italy seven times in South Africa, but this will be the first Test between the sides at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, where the hosts have a 78% win record (32 wins from 41 Tests).
- Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok to 132 caps when he takes the field.
- Damian Willemse will play his first match for the Springboks since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand, which the Boks won 12-11.
- Should Willie le Roux take the field, it will mark his 99th Test match for the Springboks, putting him in line to become only the eighth Springbok centurion in history. He made his Test debut against Italy in Durban in 2013.
- The Springboks have faced Italy 16 times and won 15 of those matches. Their only defeat was in Florence in 2016 where Italy pipped the Boks by 20-18.
- In the 15 matches the Springboks have won against Italy, they only scored fewer than 30 points on three occasions.
- The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 738.
- There are 351 caps in the backline, with 377 caps among the forwards. On the bench there are a further 466 caps.
- The average caps per player in the backline is 50, the forwards 47, while the players on the bench average 58.
