Springboks v Barbarians: Prediction, players to watch, kick-off time, TV coverage and more
Springboks excitement machine Cheslin Kolbe and Barbarians star Virimi Vakatawa.
The Springboks will kick off a bumper 2026 international season when they host the Barbarians at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Saturday.
As expected, there is plenty of excitement in the build-up to this eagerly anticipated fixture, which will be used as a warm-up game for South Africa’s upcoming Nations Championship Tests on home soil against England, Scotland and Wales.
This is the second successive year that Springboks take on the Barbarians in their opening international after the teams also faced off at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium in 2025.
On that occasion, the Boks showed why they are the dominant force in the global game currently as they held the upper hand in most facets of play and eventually cruised to a 54-7 triumph.
That result set the tone for the rest of South Africa’s international campaign as they finished the year with an outstanding 86.67% win ratio after winning 13 of their 15 Test matches.
For this year’s clash with the BaaBaas, Boks head coach Rassie Erasmus has, once again, opted for a healthy mix of experience and youth and six of the players who featured in their matchday squad in last year’s corresponding fixture, will also be in action on Saturday.
They are: Aphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel and Ox Nche, who have retained their spots in the hosts’ starting line-up, as well as Andre Esterhuizen and Franco Mostert, who have been promoted to the run-on side after starting on the replacements bench in 2025.
After suffering that heavy defeat in Cape Town last year, the Barbarians will be determined to give a better account of themselves in Gqeberha.
The famous invitational team are renowned for their free-flowing style of play which usually sees them opting to give the ball plenty of air, but they could not implement an attacking game-plan in Cape Town last year, as that encounter was played in very wet conditions as it was pouring down with rain for most of that match.
However, it’s expected to be sunny in Gqeberha on Saturday and don’t be surprised if Scott Robertson’s troops employ an expansive game-plan again.
This weekend’s clash will be the 10th time that these sides have faced each other and in their nine previous matches, both teams have secured four victories apiece as well as a draw.
Players to watch
With Springboks fly-halves Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu injured, Handre Pollard preparing for Friday’s United Rugby Championship final with the Bulls and Manie Libbok being rested, Erasmus has sprung a surprise by handing the world champions’ number 10 jersey to Quan Horn. This is an intriguing selection as he is the Lions’ first-choice full-back and has never played at fly-half during his professional career.
Needless to say, there will be plenty of pressure on the 24-year-old’s shoulders as he will have big boots to fill as the Boks’ chief playmaker. Horn has impressed with his distribution skills when playing for the Lions and was a key component in the Johannesburg-based outfit’s implementation of their attacking game-plan, which helped them to reach the United Rugby Championship’s play-offs for the first time. All eyes will be on him in Gqeberha and it will be interesting to see if he can give the Boks attacking momentum from his new position.
Also, keep an eye on experienced outside back Cheslin Kolbe, who will have the added responsibility of goal-kicking duties for the world champions in this encounter. Although he is not a regular goal-kicker, Kolbe is not unfamiliar with that role as he has previously done that – during Jacques Nienaber’s tenure as Boks head coach – and was solid off the kicking tee. He will be hoping to give a good account of himself in that department against the Baa-baas.
Meanwhile, another of South Africa’s regulars, Pieter-Steph du Toit, will also be in the spotlight as he makes his long-awaited return to action after undergoing shoulder surgery at the start of the year. The two-time World Rugby Player of the Year is a vital cog in the Springboks machine as he has proven to be outstanding on attack and defence for several years now. Erasmus will be hoping Du Toit comes through the Barbarians challenge unscathed ahead of their Nations Championship opener against England in Johannesburg on July 4.
For the Barbarians, there are several outstanding attacking players in their ranks, especially in their backline, where Fijian Drua and former France star Virimi Vakatawa will be expected to provide the spark on attack. At the age of 34, he is in the twilight of his career, but despite that, Vakatawa is still blessed with incredible pace and power and he is expected to keep the Boks’ defence busy once he builds up a head of steam.
Another player who will be vital to the Baa-baas cause is former All Blacks scrum-half TJ Perenara, who will be leading the way as his team’s captain in this fixture. The 34-year-old is an experienced campaigner who possesses excellent attacking ability as well as superb leadership skills. Like most scrum-halves, Perenara is a fierce competitor and feisty character who will be keen to show that he still has what it takes to make an impact against top-class international opposition.
Meanwhile, amongst the Barbarians forwards, Miracle Fai’ilagi is an exciting back-row who has caught the eye with several outstanding all-round performances in recent seasons for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby Pacific. Fai’ilagi usually plays on the blindside flank but will pack down at number eight against the Boks. The Samoa international is superb with ball in hand and has a high work-rate on defence and will be expected to lead the Baa-baas onslaught up front.
Prediction
While the Springboks will be the favourites, they can expect a tough challenge from the Barbarians, who will be determined to improve on last year’s efforts, where they were blown away by the world champions. While both sides will take to the field with exciting backlines, the forward battle will be crucial and that is where the Boks have an edge. Springboks to win by 18 points.
The teams
Springboks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Quan Horn, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Riley Norton, 3 Carlu Sadie, 2 Andre-Hugo Venter, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Ben-Jason Dixon, 20 Paul de Villiers, 21 Evan Roos, 22 Faf de Klerk, 23 Vusi Moyo
Barbarians: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Tomás Albornoz, 9 TJ Perenara (c), 8 Miracle Fai’ilagi, 7 Lachlan Boshier, 6 Guido Petti, 5 Alex Moon, 4 Franco Molina, 3 D’Arcy Rae, 2 Elliot Dee, 1 Mayco Vivas
Replacements: 16 Leonel Oviedo, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Pedro Delgado, 19 Izack Rodda, 20 Liam McConnell, 21 Santiago Arata, 22 Harry Plummer, 23 Tuidraki Samusamuvodre
Date: Saturday, June 20
Kick-off: 15:00 (local), 14:00 (UK), 15:00 (France), 23:00 (AEST), 01:00 (June 21, New Zealand), 10:00 (Argentina), 22:00 (JST), 09:00 (EDT)
Referee: Morné Ferreira (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (South Africa), Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
How to watch: SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & Sky Sport NZ
READ MORE: Springboks: Andre Esterhuizen reveals what he expects from Barbarians’ ‘powerhouse centre pairing’
