A new-look team will look to rediscover that winning feeling for the Springboks when they tackle an unpredictable Portugal side in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
The Springboks will be overwhelming favourites to claim an emphatic victory, while several newcomers to Test rugby will want to make a big impression ahead of the Rugby Championship.
Saturday’s match kicks off at 17:00, while the build up will begin on SuperSport at 16:00.
Here is how the Springboks and Portugal will line up:
Springboks – 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 RG Snyman, 4 Salmaan Moerat (c), 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Subs: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Ruan Venter, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Morne van den Berg, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Quan Horn.
Portugal: 15 Simao Bento, 14 Manuel Cardoso Pinto, 13 Jose Lima, 12 Tomas Appleton, 11 Rodrigo Marta, 10 Joris Moura, 9 Hugo Camacho, 8 Vasco Baptista, 7 Diego Pinheiro, 6 Jose Madeira, 5 Duarte Torgal, 4 Nicolas Fernandes, 3 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 2 Luka Begic, 1 Francisco Fernandes.
Replacements: 16 David Costa, 17 Pedro Vicente, 18 Abel da Cunha, Antonio Rebelo Andrade, 20 Andre Cunha, 21 Pedro Lucas, 22 Domingos Cabral, 23 Jose Paiva dos Santos.
Match officials
Date: Saturday, July 20
Venue: Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: 17.00 (16.00 Portugal time; 15.00 GMT)
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Craig Evans (Wales), Mike Adamson (Scotland)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)
Stats and facts:
- This will mark the first Test between the Springboks and Portugal.
- Manie Libbok requires 13 points in the match to hit the 100-point mark in Test rugby.
- This will mark the first time this season that Rugby World Cup winners Lukhanyo Am, Cobus Reinach, Manie Libbok, Thomas du Toit and Trevor Nyakane will run out in the Bok jersey.
- Salmaan Moerat becomes the 66th Springbok captain.
- Should Andre-Hugo Venter be sent on, he will follow in the footsteps of his father, Andre Venter, who played 66 Tests for South Africa between 1996 and 2001. They will become the 16th father/son combination to play for the Boks.
- The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 228.
- There are 161 caps in the backline, with 67 caps among the forwards. On the bench there are a further 75
- The average caps per player in the backline is 23, the forwards 8, while the players on the bench average 9.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said he expected a fierce battle against Portugal.
“Most of the so-called younger players have been exposed to Test rugby in one way or another by either playing against Wales or Ireland or have been around the squad so they are all well aware of the standards we expect on the field and the way we do things,” said Erasmus.
“All of the uncapped players, apart from Ruan Venter, were also members of our training squad in June, and we were very impressed with the way they fitted into our structures and their work ethic. We have full faith in their abilities, and we’re excited to see what they offer on the field on Saturday.
“The squad also includes a few RWC winners and experienced campaigners, who will play a vital role in guiding the young players and keeping things calm in the pressure situations.”
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