Springboks: Pieter-Steph du Toit and Evan Roos start as Boks make mass changes

Dylan Coetzee

Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber has announced a dramatically changed starting line-up to face Wales in their second Test in Bloemfontein that sees the return of Pieter-Steph du Toit and a debut for the popular Evan Roos.

Former World Player of the Year Du Toit returns after fully recovering from shoulder surgery as one of a whopping 14 changes to the starting XV alone.

Popular star to debut

Meanwhile, Roos makes his eagerly-awaited Test debut after a blockbuster United Rugby Championship season with the Stormers, winning four player of the year awards and a spot in the URC dream team.

The calls for Marcell Coetzee to return to green and gold have been answered as the Bulls captain lines up with Du Toit and Roos in an exciting-looking back-row.

Sharks prop Thomas du Toit is joined by newly-signed Stormers hooker Joseph Dweba and fan favourite Trevor Nyakane in a new-look front-row.

Veteran Eben Etzebeth is the only player to keep his place as he moves ever closer to becoming a Test centurion earning his 99th cap. Marvin Orie joins Etzebeth in the second-row, reuniting a partnership from school rugby days.

Scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse earns his first start alongside the returning Handre Pollard, who will captain the Springboks from 10. Harlequins’ Andre Esterhuizen is rewarded for his glittering season as he starts at inside centre, returning to the national side for the first time since before the 2019 Rugby World Cup, whilst Jesse Kriel lines up at outside centre in a new-look pairing.

Newly-signed Racing 92 star Warrick Gelant starts at full-back alongside wings Aphelele Fassi and Kurt-Lee Arendse in what is sure to be an electric back three.

On the bench, hooker Ntuthuko Mchunu, second-row Ruan Nortje, flanker Deon Fourie and scrum-half Grant Williams are all set to make their Test debuts. While Malcolm Marx, Vincent Koch, Rynardt Elstadt and Damian Willemse offer experienced options for Nienaber.

Giving opportunities

The Springbok coach has stayed true to his word to give new players opportunities in a balanced fashion as they look to build to next year’s World Cup.

“We said from the outset that we needed to strike a balance between giving our talented young players an opportunity to show what they can do at international level, and winning,” said Nienaber.

“If one looks at the balance between players who have played at this level and those who have performed consistently well for their franchises and clubs, I think we have a nice balance in this squad.

“A number of these players have been with us for a few seasons, while others travelled with us last season to Australia for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship and the year-end tour, and then there are a few new faces who showed during the season that they have the potential to rise to this level of the game, so we are excited to see what they can do on Saturday.

“Wales showed last week that they are fighters and can go for the full 80 minutes and we are expecting nothing different from them this week. This will certainly be a good test for the younger players in the group to measure themselves against some of the best players in Wales, some of whom played for the British & Irish Lions, so everyone knows they will be in for a proper Test on Saturday.”

South Africa: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Aphelele Fassi, 10 Handre Pollard (c), 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Thomas du Toit
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Ruan Nortje, 20 Rynhardt Elstadt, 21 Deon Fourie, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Damian Willemse

Date: Saturday, July 9
Venue: Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: 17:05 local (16:05 BST, 15:05 GMT)
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO: Brett Cronan (Australia)

READ MORE: Opinion: Springboks must address worrying first-half trend after come-from-behind victory over Wales