Nine tries buy a lot of trust. Rassie Erasmus has spent nearly all of it on the same men, and the name many supporters looked for first is not on the sheet.
The Springbok team v France, named by SA Rugby on Monday, has only two changes from the side that put nine tries past Italy in Turin. Wilco Louw starts at tighthead prop and Cobus Reinach comes onto the bench. Eben Etzebeth, who landed in France early on Monday morning, is not in the 23. Friday’s Nations Championship Test at the Stade de France kicks off at 22:10 SAST, live on SuperSport.
The Springbok team v France in full
| No. | Starting XV | No. | Replacements |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Damian Willemse | 16 | Jan-Hendrik Wessels |
| 14 | Kurt-Lee Arendse | 17 | Gerhard Steenekamp |
| 13 | Jesse Kriel | 18 | Thomas du Toit |
| 12 | Damian de Allende | 19 | Franco Mostert |
| 11 | Ethan Hooker | 20 | Cameron Hanekom |
| 10 | Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu | 21 | Paul de Villiers |
| 9 | Morne van den Berg | 22 | Cobus Reinach |
| 8 | Jasper Wiese | 23 | Manie Libbok |
| 7 | Pieter-Steph du Toit | ||
| 6 | Siya Kolisi (captain) | ||
| 5 | Ruan Nortje | ||
| 4 | Lood de Jager | ||
| 3 | Wilco Louw | ||
| 2 | Malcolm Marx | ||
| 1 | Ox Nche |
Kick-off: Friday 13 November, 22:10 SAST, Stade de France, Paris.
Two changes, and a reason for each
Louw earned his start. He came off the bench in Turin and scored, and now he swaps places with Thomas du Toit, who drops to the replacements. Erasmus called it a rotational switch. “Our front rows are well settled and have all been playing together for a few seasons,” he said.
Reinach takes Grant Williams’s place among the replacements, and the reasoning is local knowledge. SA Rugby notes that he played club rugby for Montpellier, and Erasmus said the scrumhalf “is also very familiar with the French conditions”. He covers the wing as well, which matters on a bench that again carries six forwards and only two backs, with Manie Libbok the other.
Everything else stays. The backline is identical, from Morne van den Berg and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at halfback to Damian Willemse at fullback. Lood de Jager and Ruan Nortje partner up at lock again, as they did in Turin after Salmaan Moerat withdrew with back spasms in the warm-up, according to SA Rugby.
“We said from the outset that we would not rotate too much on this tour,” Erasmus said, and he meant it.
Why Etzebeth has to wait
SA Rugby confirmed on Sunday that Etzebeth would join the squad in France. Erasmus has chosen patience. He said it would be better for the lock “to get back into the swing of things this week after some time on the sidelines”.
There is no gamble at lock. De Jager starts and Franco Mostert sits on the bench, and the coach said both have been training with the squad for almost two weeks.
Experience in every row
This is a seasoned side. Siya Kolisi will lead the Boks for the 70th time and carries 108 caps into Paris. Damian de Allende has 104 and Pieter-Steph du Toit 103, while Jesse Kriel and Malcolm Marx are both on 95, closing in on the century. SA Rugby counts 896 caps in the starting XV and another 269 on the bench. Six of the 23, Kolisi among them, play their franchise rugby for the Stormers.
Paris holds no fear for this group either. Sixteen of the 23 were involved in last year’s win over France at the same ground, and ten played in the 2023 World Cup quarter-final, both nights our Fan Seat relived on Sunday. South Africa have won their last five Tests in Paris, going back to 2013, and France last beat them there in 2005. Overall, the Springboks lead the series with 29 wins, 12 defeats and six draws from 47 Tests.
What Erasmus expects on Friday
None of that history will count for much once the anthems are done. “Matches between us and France are always intense, and this week will be no different,” Erasmus said. He expects the home crowd to drive Les Bleus on, but believes his players enjoy the Stade de France as well, “so neither team will give an inch”.
As Erasmus put it, both sides are chasing the top of their hemisphere’s table and a place in the final. Our guide to how the Nations Championship works explains the sums.
What happens next
After Paris, the Boks travel to Dublin to face Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday 21 November, kick-off 18:40 SAST. Finals weekend follows at Twickenham from 27 to 29 November.