Head coach Rassie Erasmus will show his hand early, naming his Springboks team to face France on Monday.
It’s the first time that the two nations will face off since the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final, and Erasmus is not holding his cards close to the chest, revealing his team to opposing head coach Fabien Galthie long before he is required to.
The Bok boss is known for naming his squad on a Tuesday, but will release the team a full 24 hours before then, announcing his matchday 23 at 1 pm South African time (11 am UK, 10 FRA).
Injury setback
One player that won’t be in the team to face France is loosehead prop Ox Nche, who put in a standout scrummaging performance the last time the two sides collided.
The World Cup-winning front-rower sustained an injury in the victory over Japan at Wembley Stadium on Saturday and has been replaced in the squad by Lions’ tighthead Asenathi Ntlabakanye.
Speaking after the match, Erasmus explained that Thomas du Toit is likely to shift to the loosehead side of the scrum with his ability to play both positions. Whether that will be the case for France remains to be seen.
Additionally, Damian Willemse is expected to fit after missing the match against the Brave Blossoms due to an injury he sustained with the Stormers.
“Damian has got a bit of a hamstring issue,” Erasmus said after naming his team to face Japan.
“We think he might be ready next week, so we didn’t want to take a chance there.”
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In his absence, Cheslin Kolbe started at full-back with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Ethan Hooker on the wings. Willemse’s return to fitness will likely result in Kolbe shifting back to the wing with Hooker falling out of the team.
Another big call will be whether Canan Moodie or Jesse Kriel will lineup in the number 13 jersey with Damian de Allende likely to start at inside centre.
Meanwhile, Feinberg-Mngomezulu has started the last four Tests at fly-half and could continue that trend with Cobus Reinach as his half-back partner, but one has to think that Handre Pollard would be involved in some shape or form.
Pieter-Steph du Toit and Eben Etzebeth are also expected to return to the match-day squad, while captain Siya Kolisi is set to notch up his 100th Test cap for the Boks, becoming the ninth player to do so.
Another intriguing call will be the make-up of the bench, with France likely to select a 6-2 or 7-1 split. Andre Esterhuizen has served as a hybrid player and featured on the side of the scrum against Japan, replacing Kolisi.
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Predicted Springboks team
Probable Springboks team: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Boan Venter
Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenkamp, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Jean Kleyn or Ruan Nortje or Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Handre Pollard
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Date: Saturday, 8 November
Time: 22:10 (SAST), 21:10 (local), 20:10 (UK)
Referee: Angus Gardner (RA)
Assistant Referees: Nika Amashukeli (GRU), Christophe Ridley (RFU)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
FRPO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
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