Springboks v Georgia preview: World champions to ‘show off their depth’ in another one-sided victory
Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi and Georgia counterpart Beka Saginadze.
South Africa will be keen to continue with their positive start to the 2025 international campaign when they host Georgia in Nelspruit on Saturday.
Although the Springboks started this year’s Test programme with back-to-back victories against Italy in Pretoria and Gqeberha, it was not always smooth sailing for the world champions in those fixtures.
Rassie Erasmus’ troops made a solid start in their opening Test against the Azzurri at Loftus Versfeld as they raced into a 28-3 lead at half-time, but Italy won the second period 21-14 which meant the home side eventually clinched a 42-24 victory.
That second-half performance left Erasmus far from happy and the Boks headed into the second Test at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium with a point to prove and on a mission to deliver a much-improved overall showing.
And while they eventually achieved that goal, as they sealed a 45-0 victory and scored seven tries in the process, they lost the services of first choice number eight Jasper Wiese early in that match after he was red carded for a headbutt on Italy prop prop Danilo Fischetti.
That moment of madness from Wiese has resulted in him receiving a four-match suspension and the Boks now turn their focus to their challenge against Georgia, who, if truth be told, face a daunting task against the world champions on their home turf.
The Lelos faced Ireland in Tbilisi a fortnight ago but despite having home ground advantage, they battled against the men from the Emerald Isle, who were without the bulk of their first choice players due to Lions commitments – and the visitors secured a 34-5 win.
And last weekend, Georgia played a friendly against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein but despite putting up a brave fight the Lelos eventually suffered a 24-20 defeat.
That does not augur well for Georgia’s head coach Richard Cockerill and his troops and the Boks will be keen to continue their winning ways, although they should not underestimate their opponents who will be determined to deliver a competitive performance in this fixture.
Where the game will be won
With both sides renowned for their physical approach up front, the forward exchanges should be robust and the visitors should hold their own in that aspect of the game. However, while they will give a good account in those areas, the rest of their game is not of a high standard and once the Boks get the ball out to their backs, they should gain the upper hand and eventually cruise to an easy victory.
Last time they met
What they said
Although the Springboks are overwhelming favourites, their head coach Erasmus is wary of the threat which Georgia poses to his charges.
“Georgia are a tough outfit, and they pride themselves on their physicality and brute force in the collisions, so the set pieces, mauls, and breakdowns will be key areas,” he said.
“They also have quality backline players to round off their team, so we need to be sharp in all the departments of our game to ensure that we continue to lift our standards, build momentum, and get the desired result.”
Meanwhile, Lelos head coach Cockerill is aware that a massive challenge awaits his troops against the world champions but revealed that they are ready for it.
“We’re a physical team, we’re a physical nation. We like the physical parts of the game,” he said. “But the next level of physicality and mentality is South Africa — for sure — and we want to see where we sit relative to the Boks.
“There’s only one way to take on a team like South Africa, and that’s head-on. And we’ll see if we’re good enough to compete, to stay with them.”
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Players to watch
For the home side, this encounter will be a special occasion for their starting front-rowers Boan Venter, Marnus van der Merwe and Neethling Fouche as all three will make their Test debuts against the Lelos. The visitors pride themselves on their forward play and the aforementioned trio can expect a stern examination in the scrums from their counterparts. Venter and Van der Merwe are both 28 while Fouche is 32 which means they are seasoned campaigners at club level and will be hoping to show that they belong in the international arena.
Another newbie to keep an eye on in the Boks set-up is Cobus Wiese, who made his debut off the replacements bench against Italy last week. The 28-year-old utility forward came on in the second-row last week but packs down at number eight on this occasion where he replaces his older brother, Jasper, who was red carded against the Azzurri. The younger Wiese has big boots to fill but will be relishing the opportunity of measuring himself against Georgia as, like his opponents, he also enjoys the physical nature of the game.
Meanwhile, after impressing when coming on at full-back during the final quarter against Italy in Gqeberha, prodigious talent Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu gets the chance to call the shots at fly-half for the home side. The 23-year-old wore the Boks’ number 10 jersey in most of their Tests in 2024 and caught the eye with several outstanding attacking performances. He will be keen to build on those showings this weekend.
While the visitors are renowned for their forward play, they also have some fine attacking players in their backline and one of their star performers is prolific try-scorer Akaki Tabutsadze. The Black Lion speedster holds his country’s try-scoring record after crossing for 50 five-pointers in 52 Tests. Although attacking opportunities are likely to be scarce in this clash, the Boks can ill afford to give him too much space as he will make them pay if that happens.
Joining Tabutsadze in the back three is exciting La Rochelle-bound full-back Davit Niniashvili, who is a vital cog in this team and despite being only 23 years old, has already won close to 50 Test caps and is a regular in the Lelos first choice XV. A brilliant counter attacker, Niniashvili is sure to test the Boks’ defence with some barnstorming runs from the back.
Georgia have made just one change to their starting line-up that lost to Ireland a fortnight ago with Ilia Spanderashvili coming in to replace Tornike Jalagonia, who scored their only points against the Irish. Spanderashvili will be determined to make the most of his opportunity and is expected to put his side on the front foot as a ball carrier while also putting his body on the line on defence.
Main head-to-head
After missing the Boks’ first three matches – against the Barbarians and Italy – due to a stiff neck and then an Achilles injury, inspirational captain Siya Kolisi will make his first appearance of the year in this clash. He has to hit the ground running but things will not be easy as he faces as tough assignment in his direct battle with Beka Saginadze, who also captains Georgia.
Both players are outstanding ball carriers and have high work-rates on defence and both will be determined to make their presence felt in those departments while also competing ferociously in the breakdown battle. Apart from their prowess as players, Kolisi and Saginadze’s decision making and leadership will also be in the spotlight as it will influence the end result.
Prediction
Although South Africa have made several changes to their matchday squad for this fixture, they still have plenty of class throughout their ranks. The Boks will show off their depth and have too much firepower for the Lelos. Springboks to win by 40 to 50 points.
Previous results
2021: South Africa won 40-9 in Pretoria
2003: South Africa won 46-19 in Sydney (RWC)
The teams
South Africa: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Cobus Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Neethling Fouche 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Boan Venter
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 Damian Willemse
Georgia: 15 Davit Niniashvili, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Demur Tapladze, 12 Giorgi Kveseladze, 11 Alexander Todua, 10 Luka Matkava, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 8 Ilia Spanderashvili, 7 Beka Saginadze (c), 6 Luka Ivanishvili, 5 Lado Chachanidze, 4 Mikheili Babunashvili, 3 Irakli Aptsiauri, 2 Vano Karkadze, 1 Giorgi Akhaladze
Replacements: 16 Irakli Kvatadze, 17 Giorgi Tetrashvili, 18 Beka Gigashvili, 19 Demur Epremidze, 20 Sandro Mamamtvarishvili, 21 Tornike Jalagonia, 22 Tedo Abzhandadze, 23 Tornike Kakhoidze
Date: Saturday, July 19
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Kick-off: 17:10 local (16:10 BST)
Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU)
Assistant referees: Hollie Davidson (SRU), Adam Leal (RFU)
TMO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
FPRO: Tual Trainini (FFR)