Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber has named his first matchday squad of 2023 for their Rugby Championship opener against the Wallabies.
South Africa head into the fixture with a seven-game unbeaten streak against the Wallabies on home soil – winning six and drawing one.
In fact, the Springboks have won all seven Test matches between the two sides at Loftus Versfeld.
Nienaber’s first team of the year includes a mix of youth and experience, with the squad boasting 448 Test caps in the starting XV and a further 119 on the bench.
Ahead of the clash against the Wallabies, we pick out winners and losers from the first Springboks team of the year.
Winners
A thoroughly deserved second Test debut
Hard work does pay off, and on Saturday, Jean Kleyn will realise his dream of representing his country of birth.
Saturday will mark three years, eight months and 26 days since his last international game for Ireland, and it has been a long three years for the Munster lock.
His call-up and subsequent debut for Ireland in 2019 polarised the public, but based purely on form, he deserved it, and his Springbok debut is no different.
He has been churning out top-drawer performance after top-drawer performance for Munster and ended the 2022/23 season as a United Rugby Championship (URC) winner. Kleyn topped the tackle count for locks in the URC (198) and made the most carries (145) by a second-rower.
Breaking into the Springboks squad is no easy feat, and simply earning a call-up in a position where South Africa is so blessed with world-class talent is testament to just how brilliant Kleyn has been. Earning a starting Test debut is just reward for the hard-working Munster lock who was overlooked and underappreciated by Ireland for so long.
First starts
In a similar breath, fly-half Manie Libbok and flanker Marco van Staden have also faced their fair share of setbacks to earning starting jerseys for the first time.
Libbok struggled to cement himself as a starter during his stints with the Bulls and Sharks but has thrived since arriving at the Stormers and earning a maiden Test call-up last year. He capped off a fine 2022 with three appearances off the bench in Green and Gold against France, Italy and England. Injuries to Handre Pollard and Damian Willemse – the latter featuring from the replacements – may have necessitated a Libbok start, but the playmaker, without a doubt, deserves his shot.
As for Van Staden, he missed out on the 2019 Rugby World Cup only to stamp his mark in the squad in 2021. However, a torrid run of injuries stalled his progress and even led to his departure from Leicester Tigers, almost forcing him into retirement. The man known as ‘Eskom’ by his teammates and fans fought his way through it all and earned a recall last November through his form with the Bulls and now makes his first start for the Springboks at his home ground, Loftus, after 10 caps from the bench.
Captain’s armband
Every player will tell you what a tremendous honour it is to captain your country, and Duane Vermeulen gets another opportunity to do so on Saturday.
The veteran back-rower leads the Springboks for just the third time on Saturday, having worn the armband during the 2019 Rugby Championship when Siya Kolisi was sidelined.
At 37, he is the third oldest player to captain the side after Victor Matfield and Schalk Brits and earns his 66th Test cap.
There is certainly external pressure from fans and pundits on whether Vermeulen is still capable of performing for the Green and Gold, but the Bok coaches handing him the captaincy in the first Test match of a Rugby World Cup year is a massive vote of confidence.
Williams form rewarded
After an outstanding season with the Sharks, Grant Williams is in line to win just his second Springbok Test cap.
Arguably the form South African-based number nine, Williams’ electrifying pace and swift services earned him a recall to the squad, and he has seemingly solidified his place among the Springboks’ top four scrum-halves.
He will still have a real task on his hands to make the final squad that heads to the Rugby World Cup, but like Herschel Jantjies in 2019, he has the opportunity to make his claim against the Wallabies.
Welcome back, RG!
It’s been a long time coming, but he is finally back! The Springboks will finally be able to call upon RG Snyman to provide an impact from the bench for the first time since the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
The fan-favourite second-rower was a constant in the Bomb Squad throughout the tournament in Japan, but two serious knee injuries and a fire mishap have stopped him from adding to his 23 Test caps.
If his form during the latter stages of Munster’s season is anything to go by, he is returning to Test rugby with a bang!
Du Preez moves up the pecking order
Jean-Luc du Preez is a notable exclusion in the squad to face the Wallabies, particularly when considering the value he can add as a versatile substitute.
His omission from the matchday 26 – the 23 plus added reserves – and inclusion in the squad to travel to New Zealand early indicates that he may well have shot up the pecking order in the Springbok coaches’ eye.
He has performed superbly for Sale Sharks since his arrival, whether playing at lock, flank or number eight and looks set to get a deserved shot in a big match against the All Blacks.
Losers
Jantjies duo fall out of favour
Elton Jantjies was a late call-up to the Springboks’ training squad and was added as cover for the injured Pollard and Willemse. However, it is clear that the 2019 Rugby World Cup winner has fallen down the pecking order at number 10 and is firmly the fourth choice fly-half behind Pollard, Willemse and Libbok.
The same can be said of his namesake Herschel Jantjies as the two half-backs that won the 2019 Rugby World Cup with the Boks see their chances of featuring in back-to-back tournaments start to slip.
Williams and Jaden Hendrikse look to be in contention for the third scrum-half place in the World Cup squad, with Faf de Klerk and Cobus Reinach occupying the top two spots. Only time will tell for the two Jantjies, but time is running out for them to prove themselves.
The fans
This certainly isn’t Springboks B team, and we are still set for a fantastic battle between two top sides, but we can’t help but feel the fans are missing out on Makazole Mapimpi and Eben Etzebeth going toe-to-toe with the Wallabies.
The battle between Mapimpi and Marika Koroibete adding to the fierce rivalry, as the pair went hammer and tongs at one another. It was a true spectacle as Koroibete denied Mapimpi in the first Test, with the Springbok hitting back in the second. The Springbok flyer also had a few choice words with scrum-half Nic White, and we are sure that De Klerk would have enjoyed another shot at the Wallabies number nine too.
Meanwhile, Etzebeth and Allan Alaalatoa locked horns in the last clash between the Springboks and Wallabies, and while they did make up over a beer after the game, the rivalry will have resumed when they crossed the white lines at Loftus.
Evan Roos
Jasper Wiese was always likely to miss the opener after a gruelling season with Leicester Tigers, paired with the birth of his child. This could/should have opened the door for Evan Roos to retain the starting jumper that he donned against England.
However, it was not to be as Vermeulen returned to captain the side. Roos will have to make an impact from the bench and will need a big one at that if he is to force his way into the side to tackle the All Blacks.
Lukhanyo Am
With Pollard and Kolisi sidelined, there was a good chance that Lukhanyo Am would become the 64th Springbok captain and second black player to lead the side in a Test match.
He just missed out on the honour to Vermeulen, but it is surely now a matter of when rather if the talented centre will lead the side after captaining South Africa ‘A’ against the British and Irish Lions in 2021.
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