Siya Kolisi will become the ninth Springbok centurion when he leads South Africa out against France at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday, with Bok coach Rassie Erasmus, who will guide the side in his 50th Test as head coach, making six personnel changes to the side that defeated Japan last week.
This massive feat for Kolisi and Erasmus adds to a string of remarkable achievements, which include winning back-to-back Rugby World Cups and Castle Lager Rugby Championship titles, as well as the British & Irish Lions Series.
Erasmus has selected Boan Venter to replace the injured Ox Nche at loosehead prop, while Thomas du Toit (tighthead prop), Eben Etzebeth (lock), Pieter-Steph du Toit (flanker) and Damian Willemse (utility back) all return to the starting lineup.
The only change amongst the replacements sees RG Snyman (lock) move from the starting team to the bench in place of Kwagga Smith (loose forward), who is carrying a niggle.
This will see Venter, Malcolm Marx (hooker), and Thomas du Toit pack down in the front row, while Etzebeth will join forces with Lood de Jager in the engine room. The loose trio of Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Jasper Wiese is the same that started in the Boks’ 30-26 defeat against France in Marseille in 2022.
Erasmus made only two changes to the backline. Willemse starts at fullback in place of Cheslin Kolbe, who moves to his regular position at wing with Kurt-Lee Arendse, while the experienced centre pairing of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel will man the midfield, and halfbacks Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are set to dictate play.
The Vodacom Bulls trio of Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp, and Wilco Louw will again serve as the back-up front row, along with locks Snyman, Ruan Nortje, and hybrid player Andre Esterhuizen. The two backline players on the bench are Grant Williams and Manie Libbok.
Eleven players in the team participated in the Boks’ narrow RWC quarter-final victory over Les Bleus at the same venue two years ago – Etzebeth, Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Snyman, Reinach, Arendse, Kolbe, Kriel, De Allende, Willemse, and Libbok – while 12 players featured in the match in Marseille in 2022, which includes Marx, who was ruled out early in the RWC campaign due to a knee injury.
Springbok team to face France in Paris:
15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 45 caps, 66 pts (6t, 9c, 4p, 2 dg)
14 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) – 47 caps, 126 pts (21t, 3c, 5p)
13 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 85 caps, 100 pts (20t)
12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 94 caps, 55 pts (11t)
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 28 caps, 115 pts (23t)
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 16 caps, 120 pts (5t, 31c, 11p)
9 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 47 caps, 85 pts (17t)
8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 40 caps, 10 pts (2t)
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 93 caps, 70 pts (14t)
6 Siya Kolisi (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 99 caps, 70 pts (14t)
5 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 72 caps, 25 pts (5t)
4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 138 caps, 35 pts (7t)
3 Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 30 caps, 5 pts (1t)
2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 85 caps, 135 pts (27t)
1 Boan Venter (Edinburgh) – 5 caps, 5 pts (1t)
Replacements:
16 Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls) – 4 caps, 0 pts
17 Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 12 caps, 5 pts (1t)
18 Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 25 caps, 5 pts (1t)
19 RG Snyman (Leinster) – 47 caps, 15 points (3t)
20 Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 14 caps, 0 pts
21 Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 25 caps, 15 pts (3t)
22 Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 25 caps, 25 pts (5t)
23 Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners) – 25 caps, 141 pts (2t, 46c, 13p)