Springboks team to face France in Autumn Series - Siya Kolisi to make 100th cap for South Africa

Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Damian Willemse also return to the starting XV, while RG Snyman moves to the bench as Kwagga Smith misses out. Willemse starts at fullback, with Cheslin Kolbe shifting to wing alongside Kurt-Lee Arendse. Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel form the midfield, and Cobus Reinach partners Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at halfback.

The bench features Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp, Wilco Louw, Snyman, Ruan Nortje, Andre Esterhuizen, Grant Williams, and Manie Libbok. Eleven players played in the Boks’ 2023 World Cup quarter-final win over France, highlighting their experience.

“We always planned to make a few changes for this match, and we’ll continue to rotate the players throughout the tour, so we can give as many players as possible a chance while at the same time trying to achieve our objectives on the field,” said Erasmus.

“This, however, is the team we feel is best suited to what we expect from France, and the way we would like to play this weekend. Many of them have also faced France in 2022 and 2023, so they know what to expect from the hosts and have also had a taste of what it is to play in front of their passionate home crowd.”

Commenting on Kolisi playing in his 100^th Test, Erasmus said: “This is a huge milestone for Siya and we are all delighted for him. He is a level-headed player and although this will be a big occasion for him, and a match that we would like to make special for him, he is fully focused on the task at hand, so he won’t allow that to overshadow what he must do on the field.

“This is a huge game, and the entire team knows how determined France will be to make up for the World Cup result, so we’ll celebrate Siya’s achievement after the match. That said, hopefully we can make it a memorable game for him.”

With the narrative in the French media and from the France camp being on revenge for what happened in 2023, Erasmus said they were preparing for the match as they do for every other Test and that they had to be on point on Saturday to get the desired result.

“France have a quality team all around, with good forwards and backs, and they are a side that plays for the full 80 minutes,” said Erasmus. "They will also have a fanatical home crowd behind them, which will inspire them immensely, so we are fully aware of the magnitude of this match, and we know what we have to do on the field. The game against Japan certainly helped in getting some of the players back into Test-match mode, and hopefully that will set us in good stead going into this game.

“The key for us is that we have to be accurate in everything we do, make the most of the chances we create, and to keep fighting from the first whistle until the hooter sounds because there is no doubt it’s going to be another epic battle between the teams.”

The match kicks off at 22h10 and the action will be broadcast live on SuperSport’s Grandstand and Rugby channels during DStv Open Time.

15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 45 caps
14 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) – 47 caps
13 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 85 caps
12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 94 caps
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 28 caps
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 16 caps
9 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 47 caps

8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 40 caps
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 93 caps
6 Siya Kolisi (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 99 caps
5 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 72 caps
4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 138 caps
3 Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 30 caps
2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 85 caps
1 Boan Venter (Edinburgh) – 5 caps

16 Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls) – 4 caps
17 Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) - 12 caps
18 Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 25 caps
19 RG Snyman (Leinster) – 47 caps
20 Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 14 caps
21 Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 25 caps
22 Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 25 caps
23 Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners) – 25 caps