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Boks name side for tour opener.

Rassie and his coaching staff have named the 1st Springbok team for their Autumn Nations Series opener against Japan at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. Kick off is set for 18:10 (SA time) and promises to be an excellent game as the Bokke look to test their depth whilst also ensuring the players are battle hardened, focused and ready for their showdown with Les Bleus in Paris in a weeks time.


There were noticeable World Cup winning absentees from the squad when it was named. This presents the perfect opportunity then for the younger players to add some caps to their names, develop further in the system and push to secure the next generation of players. This game against Japan represents just that.


The Boks and Japan have only met three times in their history, the first being the infamous 'Brighton Miracle' 34 - 32 loss the South Africans suffered at the 2015 World Cup staged in England. Thereafter they met twice in 2019 with the Boks winning both comfortably. The first was a 41 - 7 triumph in a warm-up fixture ahead of the World Cup and then they collided again in the tournaments quarter-final with the Springboks winning 26 - 3 and knocking the hosts out of the competition.



Young Zachary Porthen is added to the match 23 and will make his debut as he is set to start against Japan. He was a surprise inclusion in the squad but clearly has the faith of the Springbok management and is the perfect player to look to in their endeavours to bulk up the supply line in the front row. Rassie acknowledging the weight of expectation:


Obviously, he has a lot to learn this week, but we have experienced players in the squad who have been helping and guiding him, and we believe this is the right match to give him an opportunity to prove what he can do at this level, you have to sink or swim, so although it will be a challenging week for him to learn our structures, it will also be a very exciting week for him.

MATCH 23:

  1. Ox Nche – 46 caps, 0 pts

  2. Malcolm Marx – 84 caps, 135 pts (27t)

  3. Zachary Porthen – uncapped

  4. RG Snyman – 46 caps, 15 points (3t)

  5. Lood de Jager – 71 caps, 25 points (5t)

  6. Siya Kolisi (captain) – 98 caps, 65 points (13t)

  7. Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 81 caps, 20 points

  8. Jasper Wiese – 39 caps, 10 points (2t)7 (4t)

  9. Cobus Reinach– 46 caps, 85 pts (17t)

  10. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu - 15 caps, 104 points (3t, 28c, 11p)

  11. Kurt-Lee Arendse – 27 caps, 105 points (21t)

  12. Damian de Allende – 93 caps, 55 points (11t)

  13. Jesse Kriel – 84 caps, 95 points (19t)

  14. Ethan Hooker – 5 caps, 0 points

  15. Cheslin Kolbe – 46 caps, 126 points (21t, 3c, 5p)

  16. Johan Grobbelaar – 3 caps, 0 points

  17. Gerhard Steenekamp – 11 caps, 5 points (1t)

  18. Wilco Louw – 24 caps, 0 pts

  19. Ruan Nortje – 13 caps, 0 pts

  20. Andre Esterhuizen – 24 caps, 10 pts (2t)

  21. Kwagga Smith – 59 caps, 55 points (11t)

  22. Grant Williams – 24 caps, 25 pts (5t)

  23. Manie Libbok – 24 caps, 133 pts (2t, 42c, 13p)



Springbok record against Japan:

Played 3; Won 2; Lost 1; Drawn 0; Points for: 99, Points against: 44; Tries scored 12, Tries conceded 4; Highest score 41-7; Biggest winning margin 34 points. Win % 66.7%.

 
 
 

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