50 UP for Koch in Bok green

Two-time Rugby World Cup-winning prop, Vincent Koch, will earn his 50^th Test cap on Saturday when the Springboks take on Wales at Twickenham in their first international since lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in France in October last year.

Springbok coach, Rassie Erasmus, has named his matchday 23 that will be captained by flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit and features four uncapped players.

The Lions duo of Edwill van der Merwe and Jordan Hendrikse are the two uncapped players named in run-on team – while the Stormers’ Ben-Jason Dixon and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are the two new faces on the replacements’ bench.

A total of 10 players in the matchday squad featured in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, while 16 players were members of the Rugby World Cup squad.

Erasmus welcomed back experienced hooker Malcolm Marx, who last ran out for the team in their opening World Cup encounter against Scotland before suffering a knee injury at training, which ruled him out of further tournament action.

A total of 30 players will travel to London tomorrow night, with those outside of the matchday squad being Manie Libbok, RG Snyman, Neethling Fouche, Phepsi Buthelezi, Ethan Hooker, Quan Horn, and Andre-Hugo Venter.

Snyman, who ply’s his trade in Ireland, will make the short flight to London to join the squad following Munster’s exit from the United Rugby Championship in the semi-final last weekend against the Glasgow Warriors.

The experienced quartet of Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert, Du Toit, Faf de Klerk and Jesse Kriel, who has been named as the vice-captain for this match, are also in the run on 15.

Erasmus opted for a five-three split in favour of the forwards on the replacements bench, which includes four Rugby World Cup winners – Bongi Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe, Grant Williams, and Damian de Allende respectively.

“This is an exciting playing squad and travelling group, and we are looking forward to seeing how the uncapped players step up at top international level and how we execute what we’ve been working on at training in the last few days and at the alignment camps,” said Erasmus.

“The likes of Edwill, Jordan, Ben-Jason, and Sacha have really impressed us at training, and we believe they have what it takes to make their presence felt against a quality team such as Wales.

“They will be surrounded by several experienced campaigners – some of whom are Rugby World Cup winners – so they will have enough guidance on the field to fulfil their roles even when the pressure is on. It is equally exciting for us to see players such as Aphelele (Fassi), Evan (Roos), Ntuthuko (Mchunu), and Salmaan (Moerat) back in the green in gold after earning their stripes in the last few seasons.”

Commenting on the decision to hand Du Toit the captaincy, Erasmus said it was not only well deserved, but also personal for the player since the first and only time he led the team was against Wales in Washington in 2018 – a Test the Boks lost 22-20.

“Pieter-Steph has been a key figure in our system for several years now and he’s a player who leads by example on the field,” said Erasmus.

“We have a strong core of senior players in this group, and we had a few options for captain, but we feel Pieter-Steph will be the right man to lead the team this week.

“He has captained the Springboks only once before and that was against Wales in 2018, and after that result, we believe it will make this match even more personal for him. Over and above that, he has immense respect from his team-mates and the coaches, and we know he will accept this responsibility with great pride.”

Erasmus was delighted to see Koch earn his 50^th Test cap and lauded the player for being a stalwart for the Boks.

“It’s a special achievement to play 50 Tests,” said Erasmus. “It requires one to play well consistently and to continue to deliver, and Vincent has certainly done that for us over the years. He’s a hard worker, and he’s had a great season for the Sharks, so we all share in the excitement for him ahead of this big occasion.

“Being such a good team man, I’m sure this will motivate the team even more to start the season on a high note, which will be vital to build momentum before the Castle Lager Incoming Series kicks off against Ireland in July.”