Kwagga Smith will move from the ‘Bomb Squad’ to the starting line-up to earn his 50th Test cap when the Springboks line up against Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.
Smith will wear the No 8 jersey in a match that will also mark the return of World Cup heroes Franco Mostert and RG Snyman from lengthy injury lay-offs.
Mostert is back for the first time since recovering from the broken leg he suffered against Ireland at the start of the season and Snyman is fully fit after a foot injury sustained in Australia in the build-up to the Rugby Championship.
Head coach Rassie Erasmus has opted for a split of seven forwards and one back on the replacements’ bench and made 11 changes to the starting team that defeated Argentina in their closing Rugby Championship clash in Nelspruit.
Smith starts his 50th match in a loose trio with Elrigh Louw and Van Staden, while Mostert joins forces with Eben Etzebeth, SA’s most capped player of all time, in the second row. Etzebeth will also captain the side as Kolisi makes a rare start from the bench.
A powerful front row of Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi and Thomas du Toit will try and soften up the Scots in the first half before the substitutes arrive after the break.
The team also features a completely new backline to the triumphant Rugby Championship match-day team in Nelspruit, with the only back retaining his place in the starting team being scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse.
Veteran fullback Willie le Roux will take one more step toward reaching the exclusive group of Springbok centurions when he runs on at fullback in what will be his 98th Test match, while Makazole Mapimpi and Canan Moodie have been named as the wings, alongside the midfield duo of Andre Esterhuizen and Lukhanyo Am.
Hendrikse, meanwhile, will partner with the experienced Handre Pollard in an exciting halfback pairing.
Erasmus loaded his bench with experience with the seven forwards being the front row of Marx, Vincent Koch and Gerhard Steenekamp, with Snyman providing lock cover and Kolisi, Du Toit and Wiese set to give the team a boost at loose forward.
Williams, in turn, who provides cover at scrumhalf and wing, is the only backline player among the replacements.
It’s quite an audacious team selection from Erasmus, who is certainly no stranger to making unexpected calls, although the coach stressed it was still a team loaded with experience.
“This is a seasoned and quality team and adding to that 21 of the 23 players have won a Rugby World Cup title, with some having won two, so they know what it takes to perform at this level,” said Erasmus.
“Many of these combinations have also played together this season either during the Castle Lager Incoming Series and Rugby Championship, or both, which will be valuable against a quality team such as Scotland.
“We are expecting an extremely physical match, so we opted for a seven-one split of forwards on the bench, and this was aided by the fact that we have such versatile players in the backline, who can cover different positions if necessary.”
On Smith playing his 50th Test, Erasmus added: “Kwagga is a vastly talented player and a fantastic team member, and I’m delighted to see him reach this big career milestone. It takes a special player who performs consistently well over a few years to reach this achievement, and Kwagga has certainly done so while maintaining the same high standards at training and on the field. We are very proud of him.”
On the challenge Scotland will pose: “They are ranked seventh in the world and they’re a team that never stop fighting. They also have top quality players in their squad, we know it’s going to be an epic battle.
“In the Rugby World Cup last year, we were only three points up against them at halftime, and with the new dynamic they have brought to their game, we know it’s going to be an 80-minute battle.
“They’ll also have a passionate and vocal home crowd behind them, and we know what energy that brings to our team when we play at home, so that will boost them even more going into the match.”
Springboks: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Kwagga Smith, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth (captain), 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 22 Jasper Wiese, 23 Grant Williams
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