Rassie Erasmus Rings The Changes As Willie Le Roux Makes 100th Appearance
Rassie Erasmus Rings The Changes As Willie Le Roux Makes 100th Appearance
Willie le Roux earns 100th cap as Springboks face Italy with three debutants in Gqeberha. Watch live on FloRugby, kickoff at 10:10 a.m. ET.
Veteran fullback Willie le Roux will earn his 100th test cap for South Africa on Saturday, leading a reshaped Springboks team brimming with fresh faces and World Cup winners into battle against Italy in the second match of the Castle Lager Incoming Series at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
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Head coach Rassie Erasmus named three uncapped players — prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye, utility forward Cobus Wiese and utility back Ethan Hooker — on a revamped bench, while Salmaan Moerat assumes the captaincy in the absence of Siya Kolisi, who is being rested due to a minor injury.
Le Roux, 34, made his debut against Italy in Durban in 2013 and will now mark a century of tests against the same opponent, becoming only the eighth Springbok in history to reach the milestone.
“Willie has been a stalwart for us since his debut and is one of the best playmakers we’ve had,” Erasmus said. “Reaching 100 tests is a tribute to his consistency, professionalism and team-first attitude. We’ll be playing for him on Saturday.”
South Africa defeated Italy 42-24 in Pretoria last weekend, and seven players retained their places from that match, including Le Roux, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Marco van Staden, Jasper Wiese, Ox Nche and Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
The reshuffled starting XV includes the return of several key players from injury, including Makazole Mapimpi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Ruan Nortje, Evan Roos and scrumhalf Grant Williams.
Exciting winger Edwill van der Merwe, who scored a try in his lone test appearance against Wales in 2024, also gets a chance to shine alongside Mapimpi and Le Roux in a dynamic back-three.
At fly-half, Manie Libbok will be looking to cross the 100-point mark in test rugby, needing just two points to reach the milestone.
Erasmus emphasized the importance of squad depth and rotation as the Springboks build toward the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
“We’ve got 13 World Cup winners in this squad and players who’ve proven themselves at the highest level,” he said. “But we’re also rewarding form, and the new guys have impressed us. This is a chance for them to show what they can do.”
Among the debutants, Ntlabakanye stood out in South Africa’s 54-7 win over Barbarians, while Wiese, the younger brother of No. 8 Jasper Wiese, will join his sibling to become the 37th set of brothers to represent the Springboks.
“It’s always special to see brothers play together,” Erasmus noted. “Their energy and enthusiasm in camp have been contagious.”
Moerat, who last led the Boks against Argentina in the 2024 Rugby Championship, will call the shots in the engine room, partnering Nortje in the second row.
The front row features Thomas du Toit, Louw, and Marx, with Du Toit, Van Staden, and Wiese forming a formidable loose trio.
On the bench, the Springboks opted for a 5-3 split, with Reinach, Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Hooker covering the back line and Wessels, Nche, Ntlabakanye, Wiese, and Roos primed to impact the forwards’ battle.
South Africa boasts a dominant 16-1 record over Italy, with the lone loss coming in Florence in 2016. Erasmus expects the Azzurri to bring intensity again, especially after last week's performance.
“We know Italy will come hard at us,” Erasmus said. “We had a tough, honest review of last week’s game, and we know we must be sharper in every area. There’s a lot to play for — not just for Willie, but also for the debutants and the fans here in Gqeberha.”
The action will be broadcast live on FloRugby for viewers in the United States and U.S. Territories, with kickoff scheduled for 10:10 a.m. Eastern Time.
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