Erasmus hands Boks debuts to four players, including two 20-year-olds, against Wales in Durban

Rassie Erasmus has named four debutants in a heavily rotated South Africa starting XV for their Nations Championship fixture against Wales at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday, 18 July. The Springboks head coach has made 10 changes from the side that defeated Scotland 42-28 in round two of the competition.

The four uncapped players are fly-half Vusi Moyo, wing Jaco Williams, lock Ruben van Heerden and prop Carlu Sadie. Moyo, 20, becomes the third different fly-half Erasmus has selected across three matches, while fellow 20-year-old Williams joins him in the backline. Both players are Sharks products and will make their international debuts at their home ground.

Five players retain their starting places from the Scotland win: captain Pieter-Steph du Toit, flanker Paul de Villiers, lock Cobus Wiese, centre Jesse Kriel and full-back Aphelele Fassi. Manie Libbok is named on the bench to provide cover at fly-half, part of a 5-3 forward-back split that also includes scrum-half Herschel Jantjies and Damian Willemse.

Erasmus was emphatic in his backing for the newcomers when explaining his selections. “They all played very well for their franchises this season, and have been working extremely hard at training, while waiting patiently for a chance to play, so we are delighted for them,” he said.

“Building squad depth has always been one of our pillars since 2018, and to have such an exciting group of players coming through is fantastic as we continue to build our squad for the future. We have full faith in their abilities, and I’m sure the senior guys around them will assist in keeping them calm on the field, so they can show the talent that earned them a place in the squad. Hopefully, we can make it a memorable occasion for them and our loyal supporters this weekend.”