Vincent Tshituka impressed Rassie Erasmus with his industrial output against the Barbarians on Saturday to earn a Test debut at Loftus Versfeld.
Tshituka, who scored two tries in the 54-7 win at Cape Town Stadium last week, will wear the No 7 jersey in a Springbok team stacked with experience.
Jesse Kriel retains the captaincy in the absence of Siya Kolisi, while Handré Pollard starts at flyhalf and Damian Willemse returns at fullback for his first Test appearance since the 2023 World Cup final.
Pollard partners Morne van den Berg at halfback, with Tshituka joining Marco van Staden and Jasper Wiese in the loose trio. Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager are reunited in the second row, while Wilco Louw starts at tighthead prop.
TEAM: Tshituka on Test debut, Kriel keeps captaincy
Explaining the decision to go with a near full-strength team for the Boks’ first Test of 2025, Erasmus said it was about setting the tone.
“Last week was a Barbarians match, but this is our first proper Test and we want a steady start. Italy have a few players we don’t know well. While we’ve analysed them from the Six Nations, it’s important to start with steady hands. We gave others a chance last week, and we’ll hopefully do the same next week [in the second Test against Italy in Gqeberha] and against Georgia [in Nelspruit].”
Erasmus said Tshituka fully deserved the opportunity.
“Yes, it is a reward [for his performance last week]. That was a Barbarians game, but Vincent was outstanding. Even if you take away the two tries, his work rate was exceptional for a blindside flank.
“He’s not at Pieter-Steph [du Toit] levels of physicality yet, but he’s very busy, and the more Test matches he plays, the better he’ll get.”
Pollard’s selection at flyhalf is part of a planned rotation with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok.
“Handré has done the job for us so many times. He’s only 31 – [former Ireland flyhalf] Johnny Sexton played until 38 – and we believe he can go to the next World Cup,” said Erasmus. “Sacha got a chance at home [Cape Town] in the Barbarians match and Manie is there too. Damian is covering 10 off the bench.
“Over these three games, we want to rotate the three of them, and then we’ve got a month before the Rugby Championship to reset.”
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Kolisi, who missed last week’s match, was again not considered for selection.
“He had a stiff neck, which has cleared up, but now he’s got a bit of Achilles stiffness,” Erasmus explained. “It’s not serious – the scans are clear – but we’re just being careful. No player will play more than eight or nine matches this year, so we’d rather be safe.”
With Kolisi still sidelined, Kriel keeps the captaincy.
“We don’t hand out captaincies lightly, and Jesse thoroughly deserves it,” said Erasmus. “He’s always been a leader, and it’s good to have the captain on the field as long as possible. He understands the role, and he managed the game well in the rain last week with the other senior players.”
Italy are ranked 10th in the world and finished fifth in this year’s Six Nations after a solitary win against Wales. They famously beat the Boks 20-18 in Florence in 2016, but South Africa hit back with a 49-3 win at the 2019 World Cup and a 63-21 victory in Genoa in 2022.
“We’ve been there when Italy beat us,” said Erasmus. “That 2019 game was huge. They got a red card which swung the momentum our way, but it was still nervy. A lot of our players remember that.
“Since Gonzalo Quesada came in [as Italy coach], they’ve brought a lot more structure to their game. They used to be flamboyant and run from everywhere, but now they’re organised and their kicking game is good. They’ve got passion, physicality and they’re no longer easy to break down.”
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Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
