Boks To Blood Four New Players Against Barbarians

Prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye and flank Vincent Tshituka were on Tuesday named in the starting line-up, while hooker Marnus van der Merwe and prop Neethling Fouche were included on the replacements bench.

Another notable inclusion in the starting team was Lood de Jager, who will partner up with Jean Kleyn in the engine room. The experienced lock is back for his first Test since the Springboks’ 2023 Rugby Championship clash against the All Blacks in New Zealand, which was his only Test in the last two seasons following a string of injuries.

Siya Kolisi will captain the team in the first-ever meeting against the BaaBaas on South African soil.

Ntlabakanye will scrum down alongside Malcolm Marx and Ox Nche, while Jean-Luc du Preez will join Kolisi and Tshituka in the back row. 

Morne van den Berg and South African United Rugby Championship Player of the Season Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu form an exciting halfback combination, the experienced duo of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel man the midfield while Kurt-Lee Arendse, Cheslin Kolbe and Aphelele Fassi make up the back trio.

Players from the Bulls players, as well as RG Snyman and Handre Pollard, only joined the squad last week following their involvement in the United Rugby Championship and Premiership finals. As a result, only Bulls utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been included in the match-23 from this group of players.

He forms part of a traditional five-three split bench that includes Van der Merwe, Fouche, Franco Mostert, Kwagga Smith, Cobus Reinach, Manie Libbok and Andre Esterhuizen.

Fast facts:

• This will mark the first-ever match between the Springboks and Barbarians in South Africa.
• The last time the teams met was at the Wembley Stadium in 2016, where the teams played to a 31-31 draw.
• The teams have faced one another on eight occasions, with the Springboks winning three and the Barbarians four, while the last match ended in a draw.
• The Springboks suffered defeats in their previous two outings before 2016, going down 26-20 in 2010, and 22-5 in 2007 at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

South Africa: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jean-Luc du Preez, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.

Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Andre Esterhuizen.