Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus on Tuesday named four uncapped players in a quality team to face the Barbarians for the Qatar Airways Cup at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, in South Africa's opening match of the international season.
Prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye and flanker Vincent Tshituka have been named in a relatively experienced starting line-up. Hooker Marnus van der Merwe and prop Neethling Fouche will feature with a few Rugby World Cup-winners and seasoned campaigners on the replacements' bench.
Another notable inclusion in the starting team was Lood de Jager, who will partner 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 past two seasons after a string of injuries.
Players from the Bulls, plus lock RG Snyman and flyhalf Handré Pollard, only joined the squad last week after their involvement in the United Rugby Championship and Gallagher Premiership finals. As a result, only Bulls utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been included in the match-23 from this group of players.
🗣️ "In Asenathi we've got somebody who we see has an unbelievable touch and feel for the game."
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) June 24, 2025
Rassie Erasmus says the Springboks have been tracking the Lions prop for a number of years, who has also been working with coach Daan on the farm in Bloem 👏 pic.twitter.com/AjlNDEDLuH
The squad assembled in Cape Town on Sunday after two weeks of training in Johannesburg and started their on-field preparations on Monday. They were also joined by utility forward Pieter-Steph du Toit, who has recovered from his injury, taking the size of the squad to 46 players.
With the Barbarians being a composite team, no Test caps will be awarded for the match (5.10pm kickoff).
Saturday's clash against the Barbarians will be followed by two Tests against Italy (July 5 and 12) in Pretoria and Gqeberha and a Test against Georgia in Mbombela on July 19.
Springbok team to face the Barbarians:
- 15 Aphelele Fassi (Sharks) — 11 caps, 35 points (7t)
- 14 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) — 40 caps, 111 points (18t, 3c, 5p)
- 13 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) — 79 caps, 90 points (18t)
- 12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) — 87 caps, 55 points (11t)
- 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls) — 24 caps, 90 points (18t)
- 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers) — 8 caps, 52 points (14c, 8p)
- 9 Morne van den Berg (Lions) — 2 caps, 0 points
- 8 Jean-Luc du Preez (Sharks) — 14 caps 10 points (2t)
- 7 Vincent Tshituka (Sharks) — uncapped
- 6 Siya Kolisi (captain, Sharks) — 92 caps, 60 points (12t)
- 5 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) — 66 caps, 25 points (5t)
- 4 Jean Kleyn (Munster) — 7 caps, 0 points
- 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions) — uncapped
- 2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) — 76 caps, 105 points (21t)
- 1 Ox Nché (Sharks) — 39 caps, 0 points
Replacements:
- 16 Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets) — uncapped
- 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls) — 3 caps, 5 points (1t)
- 18 Neethling Fouche (Stormers) — uncapped
- 19 Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) — 78 caps, 20 points (4t)
- 20 Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) — 51 caps, 45 points (9t)
- 21 Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) — 39 caps, 70 pts (14t)
- 22 Manie Libbok (Stormers) — 19 caps, 98 pts (1t, 30c, 11p)
- 23 André Esterhuizen (Sharks) — 19 caps, 0 points
SA Rugby media
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