On a crisp Dublin evening, RG Snyman will stride onto the Aviva Stadium turf for his 50th Test cap, solidifying his place in Springbok lore right in the heart of Leinster land. Rassie Erasmus, with his eyes firmly set on breaking a decade-long winless streak against Ireland on their turf, is bringing out the big guns. The Springboks' lineup, almost identical to the squad that trounced France, sees only a couple of tweaks this time around.
Erasmus has pulled off a strategic masterstroke by resting key players against Italy, aiming to unleash fresh legs against the Irish. "The majority of this team were rested last week to ensure that they recover from the physically taxing match against France, and it was always our plan to name an experienced outfit against Ireland," Erasmus explained.
"He’s a great player and team man, and had it not been for injuries along the way, he would have probably earned 50 caps a while ago,"
Erasmus added, tipping his hat to Snyman’s significant milestone.
The starting XV sees Ruan Nortje stepping in for Lood de Jager and a bench comeback for Kwagga Smith, while the backline adjustments have Canan Moodie winging it in Kurt-Lee Arendse’s absence. Cheslin Kolbe and Cobus Reinach are knocking on the half-century door, both set to earn their 49th caps.
Erasmus didn't mince words about the challenge ahead: "They have a good balance of experienced and exciting young players … so it’s going to require a massive effort to beat them." He acknowledged the historical difficulty in these fixtures, emphasizing, "This group of players have never won a match in Ireland before … we know that we have to be razor sharp in all departments to get the desired result."
The action kicks off at 7:40 PM SA time, promising a clash of titanic proportions.
SPRINGBOKS LINEUP: Damian Willemse (15), Canan Moodie (14), Jesse Kriel (13), Damian de Allende (12), Cheslin Kolbe (11), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (10), Cobus Reinach (9), Jasper Wiese (8), Pieter-Steph du Toit (7), Siya Kolisi (c, 6), Ruan Nortje (5), Eben Etzebeth (4), Thomas du Toit (3), Malcolm Marx (2), Boan Venter (1). Bench: Johan Grobbelaar (16), Gerhard Steenekamp (17), Wilco Louw (18), RG Snyman (19), Kwagga Smith (20), Andre Esterhuizen (21), Grant Williams (22), Manie Libbok (23).
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On a crisp Dublin evening, RG Snyman will stride onto the Aviva Stadium turf for his 50th Test cap, solidifying his place in Springbok lore right in the heart of Leinster land. Rassie Erasmus, with his eyes firmly set on breaking a decade-long winless streak against Ireland on their turf, is bringing out the big guns. The Springboks' lineup, almost identical to the squad that trounced France, sees only a couple of tweaks this time around.
Erasmus has pulled off a strategic masterstroke by resting key players against Italy, aiming to unleash fresh legs against the Irish. "The majority of this team were rested last week to ensure that they recover from the physically taxing match against France, and it was always our plan to name an experienced outfit against Ireland," Erasmus explained.
"He’s a great player and team man, and had it not been for injuries along the way, he would have probably earned 50 caps a while ago,"
Erasmus added, tipping his hat to Snyman’s significant milestone.The starting XV sees Ruan Nortje stepping in for Lood de Jager and a bench comeback for Kwagga Smith, while the backline adjustments have Canan Moodie winging it in Kurt-Lee Arendse’s absence. Cheslin Kolbe and Cobus Reinach are knocking on the half-century door, both set to earn their 49th caps.
Erasmus didn't mince words about the challenge ahead: "They have a good balance of experienced and exciting young players … so it’s going to require a massive effort to beat them." He acknowledged the historical difficulty in these fixtures, emphasizing, "This group of players have never won a match in Ireland before … we know that we have to be razor sharp in all departments to get the desired result."
The action kicks off at 7:40 PM SA time, promising a clash of titanic proportions.
SPRINGBOKS LINEUP: Damian Willemse (15), Canan Moodie (14), Jesse Kriel (13), Damian de Allende (12), Cheslin Kolbe (11), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (10), Cobus Reinach (9), Jasper Wiese (8), Pieter-Steph du Toit (7), Siya Kolisi (c, 6), Ruan Nortje (5), Eben Etzebeth (4), Thomas du Toit (3), Malcolm Marx (2), Boan Venter (1). Bench: Johan Grobbelaar (16), Gerhard Steenekamp (17), Wilco Louw (18), RG Snyman (19), Kwagga Smith (20), Andre Esterhuizen (21), Grant Williams (22), Manie Libbok (23).