5 uncapped players in Springboks’ match-day 23

Five uncapped players, two of them in the starting line-up, have been selected in the Springbok team to face Italy in the opening round of the Castle Lager Incoming Series at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban on Saturday afternoon.

Willie le Roux (fullback) and Jano Vermaak (scrumhalf) will earn their Springbok debuts in the starting team, while the trio of uncapped players on the bench are Trevor Nyakane (prop), Arno Botha (loose forward) and Jan Serfontein (centre), who was part of the SA Under-20 team that won the Junior World Championships last year.

Stalwarts Bryan Habana (wing), Pierre Spies (No 8) and Tendai Mtawarira (prop), who missed the tour last November because of injury and health issues, are back in the starting team.

JJ Engelbrecht (centre) will start his first Test for South Africa at outside centre and Bjorn Basson (wing) will earn his seventh cap after last playing for the Springboks during the away leg of the Castle Lager Rugby Championships in 2011.

On the bench, Chiliboy Ralepelle (hooker), who also struggled with injuries last year, is back in the Test match day squad. He will feature in his 22nd Test if he gets game time on Saturday.

Ten players who played in the Springboks’ last Test of 2012, a 16-15 win over England at Twickenham, have been included in the match-23 for Saturday. They are Jean de Villiers, who is also the captain, Willem Alberts, Francois Louw, Juandré Kruger, Eben Etzebeth, Jannie du Plessis, Adriaan Strauss, Flip van der Merwe, Ruan Pienaar and Pat Lambie.

“This was not an easy team to select as I’ve been very impressed with the attitude shown by the players in training this week,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer on Wednesday.

“I’m very happy that we’ve managed to retain the core of the team from last year for the sake of continuity, but it’s also great to see a bunch of new players emerge from Vodacom Super Rugby.

“Upfront we’ve managed to keep six of the eight who started against England and at the back there are a number of very exciting players who have earned their places in the team. I’m very excited to see what this new-look backline can do.

“A number of players just missed out on selection in the match-23, but there is no reason why they can’t force their way into the reckoning next week.”

Commenting on Saturday’s Test, the first against Italy in almost three years, Meyer said: “We respect the Italians but the focus will be on what we want to achieve this weekend.

“In the past they have been regarded as one of the lesser Test nations, but that is no longer the case. Just look at their performances in the Six Nations this year – they beat Ireland and France in Rome and just lost to England in London.

“They have always been exceptionally strong upfront and will test us, especially at scrum time. But they also have some superb backs and are very well led by Sergio Parisse, so we know this will not be a walk in the park.”

The Springbok Test against Italy kicks off at 17h15, after the match between Scotland and Samoa, which starts at 14h15.

The Springbok team to face Italy in Durban is:

Position	Name	Province	Test Caps
15	Willie le Roux	GWK Griquas	0
14	Bryan Habana	DHL Western Province	83
13	JJ Engelbrecht	Vodacom Blue Bulls	1
12	Jean de Villiers (captain)	DHL Western Province	84
11	Bjorn Basson	Vodacom Blue Bulls	6
10	Morné Steyn	Vodacom Blue Bulls	42
9	Jano Vermaak	Vodacom Blue Bulls	0
8	Pierre Spies	Vodacom Blue Bulls	50
7	Willem Alberts	The Sharks	20
6	Francois Louw	Bath, England	17
5	Juandré Kruger	Vodacom Blue Bulls	8
4	Eben Etzebeth	DHL Western Province	11
3	Jannie du Plessis	The Sharks	42
2	Adriaan Strauss (vice-captain)	Toyota FS Cheetahs	21
1	Tendai Mtawarira	The Sharks	41
Replacements
16	Chiliboy Ralepelle	Vodacom Blue Bulls	21
17	Trevor Nyakane	Toyota FS Cheetahs	0
18	Coenie Oosthuizen	Toyota FS Cheetahs	2
19	Flip van der Merwe	Vodacom Blue Bulls	23
20	Arno Botha	Vodacom Blue Bulls	0
21	Ruan Pienaar	Ulster, N-Ireland	63
22	Pat Lambie	The Sharks	20
23	Jan Serfontein	Vodacom Blue Bulls	0