Reinach hits 50 in settled Bok squad to face Wales

Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach will earn his 50^th Test cap when he takes the field against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday in a settled team named by national coach Rassie Erasmus.

The starting XV for the final match of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour – which kicks off at 17h10 (SA time) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport – feature nine changes from the team that defeated Ireland 24-13 in Dublin last week.

Several players have returned to their clubs and provincial unions, as the match falls outside the international window, which required Erasmus to make eight personnel changes and one positional switch to his run-on team, while his bench has a new look to it, with three players who played last week being named among the replacements.

With World Rugby Men’s 15 Player of the Year Malcolm Marx, Thomas du Toit, Boan Venter, Lood de Jager, RG Snyman, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Grant Williams, Handre Pollard, Manie Libbok, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe, and Edwill van der Merwe out of contention for selection, Erasmus drafted several key “Bomb Squad” members into the starting team, alongside seven players who started in Dublin.

The players who retained their places in the starting lineup are Ruan Nortje (lock), captain Siya Kolisi (flanker), Jasper Wiese (No 8), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (flyhalf), Canan Moodie (wing), Damian de Allende (centre), and Damian Willemse (fullback).

Erasmus named the strong front row combination of hooker Johan Grobbelaar and props Wilco Louw and Gerhard Steenekamp – who will start a Test for the first time – with Jean Kleyn and Nortje taking charge of the engine room, while the loose trio of Kolisi, Franco Mostert, and Wiese will complete a powerful forward pack.

In the backline, Morne van den Berg and Feinberg-Mngomezulu will dictate play with at halfback, while hybrid Andre Esterhuizen will man the midfield with De Allende, Moodie and Ethan Hooker will start on the wings, and Willemse retains the No 15 jersey.

Erasmus opted for a seven-one split in favour of the forwards on the bench, with the replacement front row of hooker Bongi Mbonambi and props Zachary Porthen and Asenathi Ntlabakanye, while Eben Etzebeth will provide lock cover, and utility forwards Marco van Staden, Ben-Jason Dixon, and Kwagga Smith covering loose forward and lock. Reinach is the only specialist backline player named on the bench.

“We knew from the outset that we would lose players for this match due to their club commitments, and we are pleased with the quality of the team we’ve selected,” said Erasmus.

“We’ve been rotating our players throughout the year, and this group has been together for close to five weeks, so many of these combinations are fully settled, while others, such as Zachary and Asenathi, have shown what they are capable of this season, and we are excited that they will receive another chance to play.

“I’d like to thank the provincial unions and clubs who released these players to represent the country this weekend, so we could field a strong side capable of finishing off our November tour on a high note.”

Erasmus added: “We’ve used a total of 49 players in Test matches this season, which is a testament to the depth we have been developing with an eye on the 2027 Rugby World Cup.”

Erasmus was delighted to see Reinach, who made his Test debut in 2014, reach the significant milestone of playing 50 Tests: “Cobus is a true team man and he’s been a stand-out player for us this season and over the years, so we are delighted to see him earn this achievement.

“He’s patiently waited for his chances and grabbed every opportunity with both hands, so to see him achieve this at 35 years old makes it an even more remarkable feat.”

Commenting on the decision to opt for a seven-one split on the bench for the match, Erasmus said: “The composition of the bench was a combination of the availability of players we had for this match, but also given how well our pack has performed this season, and we believe it will be a key area of the match on Saturday.”

Erasmus expected Wales to present a stern challenge, despite also losing several players to club duty and said: “Both teams were in a similar situation with regards to the availability of players, but they have a balanced squad with a few seasoned players and several younger guys who will be desperate to make a statement.

“So, we are expecting them to come out firing and to throw everything at us. This is also the last match of the year for both teams, so there’s no doubt they’ll give everything to finish their season on a high note and try to improve their world ranking with the RWC draw coming up next week.”

Springbok team to face Wales in Cardiff:

15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 48 caps, 71 pts (7t, 9c, 4p, 2dg)

14 Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 7 caps, 5 pts (1t)

13 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 96 caps, 55 pts (11t)

12 Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 28 caps, 20 pts (4t)

11 Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 21 caps, 40 pts (8t)

10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 18 caps, 144 pts (7t, 35c, 13p)

9 Morne van den Berg (Lions) – 5 caps, 20 pts (4t)

8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 42 caps, 10 pts (2t)

7 Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 83 caps, 20 pts (4t)

6 Siya Kolisi (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 102 caps, 70 pts (14t)

5 Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 17 caps, 0 pts

4 Jean Kleyn (Munster) – 8 caps, 0 pts

3 Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 28 caps, 5 pts (1t)

2 Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls) – 7 caps, 0 pts

1 Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 15 caps, 5 pts (1t)

Replacements:

16 Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 81 caps, 70 pts (14t)

17 Zachary Porthen (DHL Stormers) – 2 caps, 0 pts

18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions) – 2 caps, 0 pts

19 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 140 caps, 35 pts (7t)

20 Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 32 caps, 20 pts (4t)

21 Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers) – 6 caps, 5 pts (1t)

22 Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 62 caps, 55 pts (11t)

23 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 49 caps, 95 pts (19t)

Stats and facts:

Springbok record against Wales:

Played 43; Won 35; Lost 7; Drawn 1; Points for: 1 157; Points against; 683; Tries scored: 136; Tries conceded: 57; Highest score: 96-13; Biggest win: 83 points; Win %: 81,4%

Miscellaneous:

• Cobus Reinach will become the second player on the team’s November tour to strike 50 Test caps, following RG Snyman’s 50^th against Ireland last week.
• Reinach requires only five more Test points to reach 100 in the green and gold.
• Eben Etzebeth will extend his Springbok record as the most capped player to 141 caps if he takes the field off the replacements bench.
• This will mark Damian Willemse’s 49^th Test match, leaving him only one game short of joining the select group of players to earn 50 Test caps, while Damian de Allende will require only two more Test appearances after this weekend to join the exclusive group of players to reach the 100 Test mark.
• The Springboks have lost only five of their 24 matches away from home against Wales dating back to 1994, with their last defeat in Cardiff being in 2018.
• This match will mark the first time the Springboks face Wales since the 2024 November tour – a match South Africa won 45-12.
• Should the Springboks win the match, it will mark the second season in a row that they complete a clean sweep of victories on their traditional end-of-the-year tour.
• The most Test matches the Springboks have won in a season is 14, meaning a victory this weekend will see them register 12 victories in 14 Tests – the second highest number of Tests won in a season.
• The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 525.
• There are223 caps in the backline, with 302 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further374 caps.
• The average caps per player in the backline is32, the forwards 38, while the players on the bench average 47.