Kolisi’s return timely to test battle readiness for bigger Bok challenges

There is a timely return for Springbok captain Siya Kolisi in Saturday's one-off Test against Georgia in Mbombela.

His return is significant as it gives the Bok brains trust a proper insight into his battle readiness for the Rugby Championship that starts next month.

Kolisi, whose season has been interrupted by injury, is no stranger to making rapid recoveries before heated battles. This was perhaps best evidenced with his return to fitness from a serious knee injury before the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

He will also be relieved to return to the field as the Springboks deepened their player depth not just in personnel but experience before the 2027 World Cup.

This is a particularly taxing year for the Boks, with away engagements in New Zealand, France and Ireland. Squad renewal may become a hot topic should the back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions fall off the pace this year.

“We wanted to make sure Siya is 100% fit before selecting him,” said head coach Rassie Erasmus.

As expected the Boks have again widened their player pool by giving debuts to Boan Venter, Marnus van der Merwe and Neethling Fouche for this weekend's clash at Mbombela Stadium.

Venter, who was called up to the squad in June as injury cover at prop, will start in a new front row with fellow prop Fouche and hooker Van der Merwe, who both had their first taste of Springbok rugby in the team’s 54-7 victory against the Barbarians in Cape Town.

“Boan, Marnus and Neethling have been training hard and deserve their chance,” said Erasmus. “Marnus and Neethling played against the Barbarians, so they have an idea of what international rugby is about, while Boan has shown great potential at club level and with the squad in the past few weeks and we are looking forward to seeing him play.”

Venter, Van der Merwe and Fouche will be put to the Test against a nation that prides itself in their scrummaging. One of Georgia's main exports are their props to other leagues in Europe.

The three uncapped front rankers will increase the number of newly capped players this season to seven after Vincent Tshituka (flanker), Cobus Wiese, Asenathi Ntlabakanye (prop) and Ethan Hooker (utility back) made their Test debuts against Italy.

Nobody can accuse Erasmus of resting on his World Cup laurels. His team features only five players who started last week and eight in total from the match-23 that defeated Italy 45-0 in Gqeberha.

The inclusion of Kolisi and Venter in the squad, meanwhile, increases the size of the group used by Erasmus so far this season to 46 players, with the matchday squad featuring 15 Rugby World Cup winners.

Making major changes to his squad for the inbound matches have meant the Boks at times lacked continuity and cohesion but even when those commodities were in short supply they found ways to assert themselves in the 2-0 Test series win over Italy and the clash against the Barbarians.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's selection next to scrumhalf Grant Williams should provide an eagerly anticipated attacking dynamic to Saturday's clash.

Edwill van der Merwe (wing), Canan Moodie (utility back), Williams (scrumhalf), Du Toit and Ruan Nortje (lock) retain their positions, while Cobus Wiese (No 8 this week) and Feinberg-Mngomezulu (flyhalf) are promoted from the bench to starting team, with Thomas du Toit (prop) starting among the replacements.

Wiese replaces his brother Jasper who was red-carded in last week's game. Wiese's bulk should ensure the Boks have decent second phase front foot ball as he marauds from the base of the scrum. The regular locks also present the Boks another line-out option.

Also upfront, talismanic lock Eben Etzebeth will link up with Nortje in the second row.

Erasmus named a five-three split in favour of the forwards on the replacements bench, where Du Toit, Vincent Koch (both props) and Bongi Mbonambi (hooker) will serve as the impact front row, while RG Snyman (lock) and Kwagga Smith (loose forward) provide the rest of the forward cover.

Springbok team to face Georgia — Aphelele Fassi; Edwill van der Merwe, Canan Moodie, Damian de Allende, Kurt-Lee Arendse; Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Grant Williams; Cobus Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (captain); Ruan Nortje, Eben Etzebeth, Neethling Fouche, Marnus van der Merwe, Boan Venter. Substitutes: Bongi Mbonambi, Thomas du Toit, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith; Faf de Klerk, Handré Pollard, Damian Willemse.