In announcing the squad, coach Jacques Nienaber made four changes and two positional switches for the Test.
Springbok play Ireland in Dublin on 5 November 2022. Picture: @Springboks.
Jasper Wiese returns to a Springbok starting lineup which features a new lock pairing with Marvin Orie and Salmaan Moerat as well as centre Andre Esterhuizen for Saturday’s third Castle Lager Outgoing Tour match against Italy, in Genoa.
In announcing the squad, coach Jacques Nienaber made four changes and two positional switches for the Test.
Wiese, who was a late withdrawal from the match against France in Marseille last week, will take over from Kwagga Smith, who moves to the replacements bench for this weekend.
Nienaber also handed starts to locks Moerat and Orie with Lood de Jager having returned home with a shoulder injury and the in-form Eben Etzebeth dropping to the bench.
One of the positional switches will see Franco Mostert move from lock to flanker in place of Pieter-Steph du Toit, who is awaiting a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday for a red card received against France for cleaning out a ruck dangerously.
In terms of the backs, Esterhuizen comes in at inside centre in a new-look midfield pairing with Damian de Allende, who switches to outside centre in place of Jesse Kriel.
The much talked about, Evan Roos will feature on the bench alongside forwards Etzebeth, Smith, and the front row of Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch (both props) and Malcolm Marx (hooker) in a split of six forwards and two backs on the bench.
Cobus Reinach (scrumhalf) and Manie Libbok (utility back), in turn, will provide backline cover, with Libbok able to cover flyhalf, centre, wing and fullback.
“A couple of players have been training very hard in the last few weeks and deserve a chance to start, and Lood’s injury and Pieter-Steph’s disciplinary hearing opened the door for us to give them an opportunity,” said Nienaber.
“Salmaan and Marvin are both DHL Stormers players, so they have been playing together for a while, and they are very hungry for game time, so we are looking forward to what they bring in the game”, he said.
Nienaber said it was good to have Jasper back against the physical Italian pack, and the team knows that Kwagga will spark something different when he takes the field
“Evan also gets a chance off the bench and his skills will work well with Kwagga’s in the loose trio, while Manie earns another run after making his debut last week”, said the coach.
“Manie’s versatility will also come in handy, as he can cover most positions in the backline, and with Cobus on the bench and several experienced backs in the backline, he will have enough guidance to be able to play his game.”
Nienaber expected a passionate performance from Italy, who narrowly beat Australia 30-29 last week in front of a vocal home crowd.
“Italy’s victory against Australia will boost their confidence immensely going into this match, and we are expecting them to draw a lot of energy from their home crowd.”, he said.
South Africa have only lost to the Italians once in their history, coming out victorious in 14 out of 15 previous meetings.
“They defeated Wales away in the Six Nations and tested Scotland as well, so we are under no illusions as to the challenge that lies ahead. Italy have shown before what a force they can be at home by defeating the Boks 20-18 in Florence, and they will draw confidence from that as well, said Nienaber
“We have been working hard on improving the areas of the game that let us down in the last two matches, and we are determined to get onto the right side of the scoreboard after very narrow defeats against the first and second ranked teams in the world.”
Zoning in on Italy, Nienaber said: “Their forwards are physical, they have a skillful backline and a good defensive system, and they play with a lot of confidence, so we know what we are in for. We have to deliver a quality performance for the full 80 minutes.”
The Boks have suffered back-to-back defeats against Ireland in Dublin and France in Marseille last weekend.
“We believe we are on the right track after coming close against Ireland and France, and if we can produce a strong showing up front and be a little more accurate in our execution, we know we can turn things around on tour.”
Springbok team to face Italy in Genoa:
15 – Willie le Roux
14 – Cheslin Kolbe
13 – Damian de Allende
12 – Andre Esterhuizen
11 – Kurt-Lee Arendse
10 – Damian Willemse
9 – Faf de Klerk
8 – Jasper Wiese
7 – Franco Mostert
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain)
5 – Marvin Orie
4 – Salmaan Moerat
3 – Frans Malherbe
2 – Bongi Mbonambi
1 – Ox Nche
Replacements:
16 – Malcolm Marx
17 – Steven Kitshoff
18 – Vincent Koch
19 – Eben Etzebeth
20 – Kwagga Smith
21 – Evan Roos
22 – Cobus Reinach
23 – Manie Libbok.
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