Springboks v Barbarians preview: World champions to start 2025 with win in ‘entertaining spectacle’ over All Blacks-laden invitational side
Springboks outside centre Jesse Kriel and Barbarians counterpart Leicester Fainga'anuku.
The Springboks will get their 2025 international campaign underway against the Barbarians in what is expected to be an entertaining encounter in Cape Town on Saturday.
Although this encounter is a non-cap exhibition match, Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and his troops will approach this Qatar Airways Cup fixture similarly to any Test, and they will be determined to continue where they left off in 2024.
The men in green and gold finished the year as the top team in World Rugby’s official rankings with a rewarding 11 triumphs from 13 Tests, for an admirable win record of 84.6%.
Erasmus is continuing to build towards the Boks’ 2027 Rugby World Cup defence in Australia by naming four uncapped players for this clash with the Baa-baas.
They are Asenathi Ntlabakanye (prop) and Vincent Tshituka (blindside flanker), who have both been included in the starting line-up, while Marnus van der Merwe (hooker) and Neethling Fouche (prop) will feature off the replacements bench.
Despite those rookies, there are still several experienced campaigners, including several Rugby World Cup-winners in the Boks’ matchday squad.
South Africa were forced into a late change on Friday when regular skipper Siya Kolisi was forced to withdraw from the match due to a niggling injury on Friday.
His place in the run-on side was taken by Marco van Staden, while Jesse Kriel will now captain the Boks from outside centre.
Meanwhile, the Barbarians’ head coach Robbie Deans has named a star-studded matchday squad which includes seven All Blacks, with Ireland legend Peter O’Mahony captaining the visitors.
This is a historical occasion as it is the first time that these sides will go head-to-head on South African soil.
However, they have faced each other on eight previous occasions and – surprisingly – the famous invitational team have been victorious in four of those clashes, with the Springboks picking up three victories.
Where the game will be won
While the Baa-baas are renowned for employing a free flowing style of play, with a big emphasis on giving the ball plenty of air, and although the Springboks’ attack has also come in leaps and bounds since Tony Brown was appointed as their attack coach, rain is predicted for Cape Town on Saturday and that should throw a spanner in the works if – as expected – the sides were hoping to employ expansive game-plans.
That means that the teams will, in all likelihood, opt to be more conservative in how they approach this fixture, and the set-pieces should be crucial in the bigger scheme of things. The scrum battle could be the facet of play which ultimately decides the outcome of this match, while the lineout duel should also play its part.
With five Rugby World Cup winners lining up in the Boks’ starting pack, the hosts will fancy their chances of gaining the upper hand in the forward exchanges. However, they can expect plenty of resistance from their counterparts who have seasoned campaigners like skipper O’Mahony, Cian Healy, Sam Cane, Shannon Frizell, Camille Chat and David Ribbans in their ranks.
Last time they met
What they said
Springboks full-back Aphelele Fassi is relishing the chance of taking on the Barbarians, and although he expects his opponents to give their all on attack, he revealed that the world champions are concentrating more on their own game.
“We have a good idea about the Barbarians set-up, and we know they like to throw the ball around, but the focus for us will be to stick to our structures and play the way we want to play,” he said.
“We are approaching this as a Test match, and we’ve trained that way all week, so although we have freedom as players to make decisions on the field, we’ll certainly do so within our systems.”
Peter O’Mahony captains star-studded Barbarians with six All Blacks set to tackle the Springboks
Meanwhile, Barbarians head coach Robbie Deans said his troops will put up a brave fight but he expects the Boks to come with a big onslaught.
“We’ve trained and prepared ourselves in a way that we can be competitive,” he said. “When these guys get the opportunity to play, and with the history of the club, we want to add to it. We want to bring that courage and flair, the things the club stands for.
“South Africa is taking it seriously as they are preparing for an international season.
“Both teams will be positive (with their approach) and provide a spectacle for the public who are turning out in their numbers, regardless of the weather.”
Players to watch
In the Springboks camp, all eyes will be on their inexperienced half-back pairing of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Morne van den Berg, who are two of the most promising players in their respective positions at international level. At the age of 23, Feinberg-Mngomezulu is the younger of the duo but has already made eight Test appearances for the Boks in 2024. Blessed with a vast array of skills, he won the SA Rugby URC Player of the Season award after several superb displays for the Stormers and will be determined to continue with that fine form in green and gold against the Barbarians.
Meanwhile, Van den Berg, who is 27, earned rich praise from Boks head coach Rassie Erasmus earlier this week when he compared the two-Test Boks number nine to legendary All Blacks scrum-half Aaron Smith. Van den Berg is a nippy number nine blessed with searing pace, excellent vision, great distribution skills and a natural feel for the game. Boks fans will be keen to see combines with Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and if they click, it could be a long day at the office for the Baa-baas.
One player in the Boks set-up who will not lack in motivation to do well is veteran second-rower Lood de Jager, who is making his first appearance at Test level in nearly two years. The 32-year-old has had a nightmare run with injuries over the past 23 months as he missed the 2023 Rugby World Cup due to a heart condition before sustaining a shoulder injury, which kept him on the sidelines for nine months. A brilliant lineout exponent, he will be keen to show that he can still do a job for his country.
With 251 Test caps between them, the Ireland forward duo of Peter O’Mahony and Cian Healy have seen it all at international level and with it being both’s final professional rugby match, they will be aiming to go out on a high. Facing the current world champions means they are up against serious opposition, but both players are vastly experienced and will be eager to show that they can still compete at this level.
As the Baa-baas’ captain, O’Mahony will try to lead by example and expect him to put in a huge effort on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, Healy’s experience will prove invaluable in the tight exchanges, especially in the execution of his core duties. Hopefully, both players will give a good account of themselves and deliver competitive performances while they are on the field.
Another player to keep an eye on in the Barbarians line-up is All Blacks speedster Mark Tele’a, who is one of the best attacking players in the international arena. When he builds up a head of steam, the 2023 World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year has the ability to change the course of a match with a moment of magic, and his record of scoring 13 tries in just 19 Tests for New Zealand shows that he knows his way to the try-line.
Main head-to-head
Both these teams are stacked with numerous attacking threats throughout their ranks, but the midfield duel between Springboks stand-in skipper Jesse Kriel and All Blacks powerhouse Leicester Fainga’anuku should be a definite highlight of this encounter. Kriel is an experienced campaigner with a high work ethic who has been a regular in Springboks matchday squads for the past decade.
Although he is adept on attack, one of Kriel’s key strengths is his defending, and he will have to be at his best in that department against Fainga’anuku, who is destructive ball-in-hand. The 25-year-old is a powerful runner and, when on song, he can tear most defences to shreds. He will be hoping to do just that against the Boks, but it won’t be so easy against Kriel’s excellent defensive skills.
Prediction
Although both sides will be determined to make this an entertaining spectacle, the Boks will approach this like a typical Test match while the Baa-baas will stay true to their attacking roots. That could be a catastrophic decision given the expected weather conditions, so expect the Springboks to win by 10-12 points.
Previous results
2016: The teams drew 31-31 at Twickenham
2010: Barbarians won 26-20 at Twickenham
2007: Barbarians won 22-5 at Twickenham
2000: South Africa won 41-31 in Cardiff
1994: Barbarians won 23-15 at Lansdowne Road
1970: South Africa won 21-12 at Twickenham
1961: Barbarians won 6-0 in Cardiff
1952: South Africa won 17-3 in Cardiff
The teams
Springboks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel (c), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jean-Luc du Preez, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Andre Esterhuizen
Barbarians: 15 Melvyn Jaminet, 14 Mark Telea, 13 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 12 Peter Umaga-Jensen, 11 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkins, 10 Josh Jacomb, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Shannon Frizell, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Peter O’Mahony (c), 5 David Ribbans, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Paul Alo-Emile, 2 Camille Chat, 1 Cian
Healy
Replacements: 16 Ricky Ricatelli, 17 Hassane Kolingar, 18 Will Collier, 19 Josh Beehre, 20 Hoskins Sotutu, 21 Santiago Arata, 22 Joe Marchant, 23 Lachlan Boshier
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Date: Saturday, 28 June
Kick-off: 17:10 (local), 16:10 (UK)
Broadcaster: SuperSport, Sky Sport
Referee: AJ Jacobs
Assistants: Christopher Allison, Stephan Geldenhuys
TMO: Egon Segonds
FPRO: Ben Crouse