No Surprises In Springbok Squad To Face Wales

 

Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse – the 36th set of Springbok brothers – have been paired at halfback for the season’s final Test against Wales in the last match of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.

Cameron Hanekom (loose forward) is set to become the 12th Springbok to make his Test debut this season after being named on the replacements’ bench by Bok coach Rassie Erasmus in a match-23 that shows seven personnel changes to the team that beat England 29-20 in London on Saturday.

Jaden (scrumhalf) and Jordan (flyhalf) Hendrikse are the first set of brothers to appear together since Dan and Robert du Preez featured against Wales in Washington DC at the start of the 2018 season.

The last time a set of brothers were included in the starting team, was in the Rugby World Cup pool match against Scotland in 2015, when front rowers Jannie and Bismarck du Plessis ran out in tandem in Newcastle.

The Hendrikse’s inclusion are the only changes in the backline, while there are five changes in the starting pack: Johan Grobbelaar starts at hooker (after last featuring in a match-23 against Australia in Perth) while Thomas du Toit returns at tighthead prop, with Ox Nche retaining the No 1 jumper.

The team also features a new lock combination of the fit-again Jean Kleyn (who last appeared in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final) and Franco Mostert, while the only change in the loose trio is at flanker, where Elrigh Louw replaces Pieter-Steph du Toit (who is nursing a shoulder niggle) and will start alongside captain Siya Kolisi and hard-running No 8 Jasper Wiese.

Springbok team to face Wales in Cardiff:

15 – Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 10 caps, 30 points (6t)
14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) – 39 caps, 111 points (18t, 3c, 5p)
13 – Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 78 caps, 90 points (18t)
12 – Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 86 caps, 55 points (11t)
11 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 23 caps, 85 points (17t)
10 – Jordan Hendrikse (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 1 cap, 7 pts (2c, 1p)
9 – Jaden Hendrikse (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 19 caps, 19 pts (2t, 3c, 1p)

8 – Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 33 caps, 10 points (2t)
7 – Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 12 caps, 0 points
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 91 caps, 60 points (12t)
5 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 77 caps, 15 points (3t)
4 – Jean Kleyn (Munster) – 7 caps, 0 pts (Ireland 5 caps)
3 – Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 22 caps, 5 pts (1t)
2 – Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls) – 2 caps, 0 points
1 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 39 caps, 0 points

Replacements:

16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 75 caps, 105 points (21t)
17 – Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 10 caps, 0 points
18 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 60 caps, 0 points
19 – Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 130 caps, 30 points (6t)
20 – RG Snyman (Leinster) – 39 caps, 10 points (2t)
21 – Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls) - uncapped
22 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 38 caps, 70 pts (14t)
23 – Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers) – 79 caps, 772 points (7t, 109c, 168p, 5dg)