South Africa kicked off 2024 with a 41-13 win over a depleted Wales side at Twickenham on Saturday, but it was not a performance in which they were at their dominant best.
The contest was the perfect opportunity for the world champions to play their first game since lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in October and prepare for a much stiffer test against Ireland in July.
The Springboks will host the world number two and Six Nations champions in Pretoria and Durban in one of the most anticipated series in a long time.
Rassie Erasmus provides injury news.
Rassie Erasmus provides injury news.
World Cup winners Jean de Villiers and Schalk Burger join Hanyani Shimange in the latest episode of RPTV. vox office A podcast analyzing Warren Gatland’s win and ahead of their visit to Ireland.
Rassie Erasmus has fielded a fairly experimental side in London, particularly in the back line, and de Villiers and Burger have discussed which players will remain in the starting XV for the first Test at Loftus Versfeld on 6 July.
south africa
Ireland
The pair expect eight changes from the side that won at Twickenham, five of which are in the backline.
The two players who will hold their positions among the defense are scrum-half Faf de Klerk and outside center Jesse Kriel, with De Villiers saying: “To make it easier, the backline is the final World Cup backline.”
The point of contention was inside the centre, with both men preferring Damian de Allende over Andre Esterhuizen.
“This is a battle between (Esterhuizen) and Damian,” Burger said. “We always saw that when it comes to between these two, we pick Damian.”
De Villiers added: “Andre Esterhuizen had very limited opportunities on Saturday. What do you base that on? Damien did nothing wrong. He brought a lot of energy when he came on and he’s a World Cup winner. You stick to that.”
In the pack, Shimange chose the front row, predicting two changes. Bongi Mbonambi and Frans Malherbe started ahead of Malcolm Marx and Vincent Koch, while Ox Nche retained the top jersey. He deployed Marx, Thomas du Toit and Kock on the bench, with Burger pointing out that “it doesn’t matter who starts these days because they only play 40 minutes.”
The real controversy arose when choosing who should start at number eight. de Villiers suggested Kwagga Smith should move from the wing to the back of the scrum. Burger was less convinced and leaned towards keeping Evan Roos at number eight, emphasizing Smith’s influence off the bench at altitude.
“Kwagga will never let you down, whether he starts or comes off the bench,” the former winger said.
“But I think he can be a devastating player coming off the bench against Ireland in the Highveld. We’ve seen him do it in the past, especially if they’re chasing the game. He is a machine. I’m not sure about No8.”
De Villiers responded: “I think Evan can do that off the bench as well.”
With less than a week until the team name is announced, we’ll see how different Erasmus’ team will be from this one.
South Africa XV v Wales
15. Perfect Parsi
14. Edwill van der Merwe
13. Jesse Kriel
12. André Esterhuizen
11. Makazole Mapimpi
10. Jordan Hendrix
9. Pape de Klerk
1. Bull Eunche
2. Malcolm Marx
3. Vincent Koch
4. Etzebeth
5. Franco Mostert
6. Quagga Smith
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit
8. Evan Rose
Vox Office South Africa XV vs Ireland
15. Willy Le Roux
14. Cheslin Kolbe
13. Jesse Kriel
12. Damien de Allende
11. Kurt-Lee Arense
10. Handre Pollard
9. Pape de Klerk
1. Bull Eunche
2. Bongi Mbonambi
3. Frans Malherbe
4. Etzebeth
5. Franco Mostert
6. Hecolish
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit
8. Kwagga Smith (de Villiers) Evan Roos (Berger)
