Willie le Roux on the run during the Springboks' Rugby Championship match against Argentina at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 29 July 2023. (Photo: Wessel Oosthuizen / Gallo Images) 
In an unsurprising move Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus turned to the bulk of the Rugby World Cup 2023 winners to face Ireland for the first of two-Tests, to be played at Loftus Versfeld.
Captain Siya Kolisi, fullback Willie le Roux, flyhalf Handrè Pollard and wing Kurt-Lee Arendse all play again for the first time since the RWC 2023 final win over New Zealand.
Kwagga Smith, who featured off the bench against Wales nearly two weeks ago, starts at No 8 while Marco van Staden is the reserve looseforward. Evan Roos and Ben-Jason Dixon drop out from the side that beat Wales 41-13.
There is no room for flyhalf Manie Libbok, who lost his starting place to Pollard for the 12-11 win over New Zealand in Paris last year. Libbok did not feature for the Boks against Wales at Twickenham two weeks ago either.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/TL_1885014.jpg "Kwagga Smith muscles past Welsh players at Loftus Versfeld on 2 July 2022. (Photo: Lee Warren / Gallo Images)")
In all, 20 of the 23-man squad were in France last year. The only new players who missed the French campaign are prop Gerhard Steenekamp (prop), Salmaan Moerat (lock) and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (utility back), who are all on the bench.
“This is the team we believe will give us the impetus we need against Ireland, who are the second-highest-ranked team in the world,” said Erasmus.
“We are blessed to have a lot of depth in our squad, and we are in a fortunate position to have several Rugby World Cup-winners in our ranks who know what it takes to perform at the highest level and play against the best teams in the world.
“The fact that most of these guys have played together is a bonus for us, and most of them have faced Ireland before so they are well aware of the challenge that lies ahead, especially since we haven’t beaten them since 2016.”
Decorated dozen
Twelve of the starting XV for Saturday’s showdown (six forwards and six backs) started in the 12-11 RWC final victory over New Zealand, with the other three (Willie le Roux, Kwagga Smith and Ox Nche) coming off the bench in the final.
“It’s great to be in such a position, and while it may serve as a mental boost, Ireland are a quality outfit and they’ll come out guns blazing. This is a new year for us with new systems in place, so while it certainly helps that most of the players have won a World Cup or two, this is a fresh chapter for us.
“Gerhard made a strong statement in the front row against Argentina in Buenos Aires last year and we were equally pleased with how easily Sacha slotted in and the contribution he made against Wales.
“Sacha, similarly to Grant (Williams), also offers us additional options in the backline, as he can cover flyhalf and centre, while Grant is efficient at scrumhalf and wing, which places us in a good position with the six-two split.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/TL_2065596.jpg "Cheslin Kolbe in action against Argentina at Ellis Park on 29 July 2023. (Photo: Lee Warren / Gallo Images)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/TL_1898410.jpg "Bok captain Siya Kolisi is tackled by Rieko Ioane and Will Jordan of the All Blacks during their Rugby Championship clash at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on 6 August 2022. (Photo: Gordon Arons / Gallo Images)")
“Salmaan, in turn, may only have a few Test caps, but he’s a former Junior Springbok captain, he captained the Stormers, and like Sacha, he came through our Elite Player Development (EPD) system, so they have been exposed to the way we do things at this level for some time now.
“This match will test their skills, but they are all quality players, in whom we have full faith, and it doesn’t get better to experience that against a team like Ireland.”
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/TL_1890177.jpg "Siya Kolisi on his way to score against Wales at Cape Town Stadium on 16 July 2022. (Photo: Gordon Arons / Gallo Images)")
The Boks have not beaten Ireland since 2016, losing all three matches against them in that period. But this will be the first clash in South Africa since 2016.
“Ireland have had the upper hand over us in the last few years and they will certainly want to build on that on Saturday,” said Erasmus. “That said, we have a good idea of what to expect from them, especially after the World Cup last year.
“They have a few new players in their ranks this year, but so do we and that contributes to the excitement for the match. They are a physical team that never give up, but the margins between the teams are fairly small, so it’s going to be an intense battle and one that will require a resolute performance for the full 80 minutes.” DM
Springboks:
15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Kwagga Smith, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (capt), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Reserves: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
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