The Springboks sprung a big surprise at flyhalf for Saturday’s Test against Wales at Twickenham, with uncapped Lion Jordan Hendrikse selected at pivot.
Hendrikse is one of two debutants in the starting XV - the other being his Lions teammate and wing Edwill van der Merwe, with two more uncapped players on the bench in Stormers Ben-Jason Dixon and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
With Stormers flyhalf Manie Libbok also touring with the squad alongside other non-playing members RG Snyman, Neethling Fouche, Phepsi Buthelezi, Ethan Hooker, Quan Horn and Andre-Hugo Venter, it is the selection of Hendrikse, 22, that has raised some eyebrows.
Libbok was a shoo-in to start, with in-form Sharks Siya Masuku also banging down the door. And with Feinberg-Mngomezulu set top provide cover off the bench, Hendrikse’s decision came out of the blue for those not involved in the camp.
Of the decision to field the rookies in the Pieter-Steph du Toit-led team, Erasmus says: “This is an exciting playing squad and travelling group, and we are looking forward to seeing how the uncapped players step up at top international level and how we execute what we’ve been working on at training in the last few days and at the alignment camps.
“The likes of Edwill, Jordan, Ben-Jason, and Sacha have really impressed us at training, and we believe they have what it takes to make their presence felt against a quality team such as Wales.
Edwill Van Der Merwe reflects on the opportunity to make his #Springbok debut against Wales this weekend💥🚀#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/g5gbA8Lxya
— Springboks (@Springboks) June 18, 2024
“They will be surrounded by several experienced campaigners – some of whom are Rugby World Cup winners - so they will have enough guidance on the field to fulfil their roles even when the pressure is on. It is equally exciting for us to see players such as Aphelele [Fassi], Evan [Roos], Ntuthuko [Mchunu], and Salmaan [Moerat] back in the green in gold after earning their stripes in the last few seasons.”
Of captain Du Toit, he adds: “Pieter-Steph has been a key figure in our system for several years now and he’s a player who leads by example on the field. We have a strong core of senior players in this group, and we had a few options for captain, but we feel Pieter-Steph will be the right man to lead the team this week.”
Excitement all around as coach Rassie Erasmus names the first Bok squad for the year! 🤩
— Springboks (@Springboks) June 18, 2024
Four debutants and 50 up for a stalwart! 🇿🇦
More at the following link: https://t.co/7LSmiNQAfp#Springboks#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/VqkeFAEr00
Springboks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain), 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 – Ben-Jason Dixon, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Damian de Allende.
dudley.carstens@inl.co.za