Boks go full strength to lay down marker against England in Nations Championship opener

In recent weeks Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has hinted that his main priority for 2026 is winning the four-Test series against the All Blacks later this year.

That might well be the case, but there is no reason to think the Boks are taking the new Nations Championship lightly as a trade-off.

Erasmus went full strength when naming his team to face England at Ellis Park on Saturday. There is no experimentation here. Just experienced winners in every position.

Cheslin Kolbe and Damian Willemse, playing wing and fullback respectively, will both earn their 50th Test caps in a backline stacked with experience and skill.

Manie Libbok is the preferred starting flyhalf, partnering Grant Williams at halfback, while Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel combine at centre for the 42nd time, which extends their record.

Libbok last started a Test almost a year ago when he led the line against Australia at Ellis Park. The Boks made a brilliant start to that game, with Libbok and Williams running riot as the home team surged to a 22-0 lead before the Wallabies stunned the Boks with a second-half rearguard to win 38-22.

Libbok showed the best side of his attacking game that day, ripping the Wallabies apart in the opening half hour. But he also displayed some weaknesses in terms of game management after halftime, although the Boks were collectively at fault for not recognising they were punching themselves out.

Kurt-Lee Arendse completes a backline that averages an impressive 53 Test caps per man.

If the backs are experienced, the forwards are whatever comes beyond experience, with an average of 71 Test caps per man in the starting pack.

Lock Eben Etzebeth plays his first game in months after missing the back-end of the United Rugby Championship (URC) season through injury. The great second-rower makes his record-extending 142nd Test appearance.

Ruan Nortjé, a relative newcomer by comparison with a “mere” 18 test caps, joins Etzebeth in the second row and will manage the lineout calling.

The loose trio is now a settled combination, with Jasper Wiese at No 8 and Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit on the flanks. It’s balanced and uncompromising.

Kolisi will captain the Boks for a 72nd time, at the same venue and against the same opponents to when he debuted as captain in 2018.

Former Bath tighthead Thomas du Toit will start in the No 3 shirt after another stellar season in the English Premiership, with the destructive Ox Nche at loosehead. Reigning World Player of the Year Malcolm Marx is at hooker to complete a granite-looking front row.

No weaknesses

If England are looking for weaknesses in the Bok personnel, they are going to be hard-pressed to find them.

The Bok bench has a more callow look about it in terms of experience, but not in terms of quality.

Reserve looseforward Cameron Hanekom is set to earn only his second Test cap and prop Zach Porthen has just three Test caps. But both are high-quality players set for long and prosperous Test careers.

Fellow front-rankers Jan-Hendrik Wessels (hooker) and Gerhard Steenekamp (prop) have just 25 caps between them, although both have been in the set-up for more than three years now.

The ever-reliable and versatile Marco van Staden completes the “official” forward listing among the reserves, although hybrid player André Esterhuizen is on the bench.

Esterhuizen could be deployed at centre or flank, or both, depending on the Boks’ needs and the match situation. He is such a vital weapon in the Boks’ armoury these days.

Scrumhalf Cobus Reinach makes a slight surprising return from a knee injury that saw him miss the last weeks of the URC. It adds great experience and quality in a vital position.

There is no specialist flyhalf among the reserves, although Kolbe and Willemse can both operate in the channel if needed.

And utility back Canan Moodie completes the bench, meaning the Boks are either a five/three or six/two split between forwards and backs depending on how Esterhuizen is deployed.

Depth chart

When you consider there are only nine players in this squad to face England, who played in the 80-31 win over the Barbarians nine days ago, you get a sense of the depth of the Bok squad.

Standout performers such as wing Edwill van der Merwe, flank Paul de Villiers and fullback Aphelele Fassi didn’t even crack the 23 to face England. Their chance will come soon enough. For Erasmus these are good selection problems to have.

On the downside, Erasmus revealed some injuries, and sickness played a part in their thinking.

Franco Mostert (utility forward) and Lood de Jager (lock) were not available for selection this week due to an ankle niggle and illness respectively, while Riley Norton (utility forward) has been released from the camp after picking up a hamstring injury.

It’s a shame for Norton, who stood out against the Barbarians and was set to earn a first Test cap in the coming weeks.

On the upside, utility back Ethan Hooker will join the squad on Monday, seemingly having made a faster-than-anticipated return from a shoulder dislocation.

“England are a quality outfit, and we are expecting them to give everything they have in this match, so it was important to select a squad with experience combined with a few younger players, who have proved that they have what it takes to perform at this level,” Erasmus said.

“The players have worked very hard at training, and they know what it takes to perform against a side of this calibre with a good coaching team. We hope they can transfer that effort onto the field on Saturday.

“It was great to have a run against the Barbarians and Zimbabwe last week because it afforded some of our players some valuable game time, but this weekend will be a different prospect altogether.

“England are a settled team, they come off a Six Nations campaign earlier in the season, and, similarly to us, they will also want to have a good start to this competition, so we are expecting it to be a bruising encounter.” DM

Team

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