RG Snyman will hit the 50-Test milestone in the city he now calls home as Rassie Erasmus unleashes a fully-loaded Springbok lineup to tackle Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Erasmus has reverted to the core side that dismantled France two weeks ago, making just two personnel changes and restoring the experience he deliberately rested for last week’s Italian hit-out.
It’s a clear statement of intent for a fixture the Boks haven’t won on Irish soil since 2012.
Snyman’s elevation to 50 Tests comes in Leinster territory, adding emotional weight to a contest already crackling with edge.
Ruan Nortje steps into the starting XV for Lood de Jager, while Kwagga Smith returns to the bench.
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Franco Mostert was not selected despite being cleared to play after his red card was rescinded.
In the backline, Canan Moodie shifts to wing in place of Kurt-Lee Arendse, who returned home after suffering a concussion. Cheslin Kolbe and Cobus Reinach both move to 49 caps.
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Erasmus said the plan was always to restore senior combinations for Ireland.
“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.”
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He added that Snyman’s milestone is richly deserved.
“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.”
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Ireland remain one of the toughest home assignments in Test rugby, and Erasmus was frank about the scale of the challenge.
“They have a good balance of experienced and exciting young players … so it’s going to require a massive effort to beat them,” he said.
“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.”
Kick-off is at 7:40pm (SA time).
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SPRINGBOKS – 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach,
8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Boan Venter.
Bench: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Andre Esterhuizen, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok.
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
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