Following the announcement of Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks squad to face Italy at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, here are our winners and losers.

It’s the first official Test match for South Africa this year after Erasmus’ charges thrashed the Barbarians 54-7 in Cape Town last weekend.

The Springboks starting XV boasts a total of 738 caps, including 132 from Eben Etzebeth alone, with a further 466 on the bench.

The Azzurri head into the match off the back of a comprehensive dismantling of Namibia in Windhoek, but face a far tougher challenge against the Boks at altitude this weekend.

So without further ado, here are our winners and losers.

Winners

Jesse Kriel

With Siya Kolisi absent, more on that later, Jesse Kriel has the honour of skippering the Springboks in a Test match for the first time after leading the side to an emphatic 54-7 victory over the Barbarians in Cape Town last week.

Kriel is a complete professional and thoroughly deserves the mantle of being the 67th Springbok captain as he leads the side against the Azzurri. The 31-year-old has had his fair share of setbacks but has always hit back and come out firing for the Boks and served them with aplomb.

He has been a leader of the defence and a selfless player and now gets that added reward for doing so, particularly when one considers that Erasmus could have quite easily have handed the leadership armband to Etzebeth or Handre Pollard, two starters who have led the side previously.

It’s clear that Kriel has the trust of the coaching team and the respect of his teammates. Saturday will be an emotional occasion for the centre as he leads the side out at his old stomping ground, where his professional career began.

Willie le Roux

Erasmus is sticking to his word as he rewards veteran full-back Willie le Roux with his 99th Test cap for the Springboks. The head coach has repeatedly stated that Le Roux is unlikely to make to the next Rugby World Cup but has said that they will help the outside back get to the 100 Test cap milestone – an achievement he richly deserves.

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The battle for the full-back jumper in the Bok team is fierce, highlighted by the return of Damian Willemse and the exclusion of Aphelele Fassi, Quan Horn and even Sacha Feinberg-Mngomeuzulu, with Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse more than capable of filling in there too.

Le Roux has shown through his performances with the Bulls this year that he is still capable of producing compelling performances at full-back and will be tasked with doing just that in the latter stages of the match, much like he did in the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

He is bound to get a roaring reception when he emerges from the bench too, as he plays in front of the Bulls’ faithful with his potential 100th game either coming in Gqbertha or Nelspruit, two crowds that will surely make the occasion special for him.

Returning stars

Starting with the backs and for the first time since the Springboks defeated the All Blacks by a single point in Paris two years ago, Willemse will pull on a Green and Gold jumper. The youngest-ever double Rugby World Cup champion’s international career was stalled by untimely injuries that meant he missed the entire 2024 Springbok season, but in the first Test of 2025, the talented back earns his 40th cap for the side.

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Willemse was the go-to number 15 during the World Cup but has seen Fassi star in his jersey over the last 12 months and will be eager to stamp his mark on the starting line-up in Pretoria this weekend.

He is not the only man to earn his first appearance since 2023, as Lood de Jager finally picks up his 67th Test cap in the engine room. De Jager was a pivotal figure in winning the 2019 World Cup with the Boks but missed the title defence due to illness. He pulled on the Green and Gold jumper against the Baa-Baas and put in a magnificent shift that he will be out to replicate alongside Etzebeth for the 40th time.

His return means that for the first time since the 2019 Rugby World Cup final victory over England, Erasmus has been able to select the classic 6-2 ‘Bomb Squad’ locking combination with Franco Mostert and RG Snyman combining on the bench.

Also on the bench is fellow double world champion Faf de Klerk who missed the remainder of the Springboks’ 2024 season after suffering an injury in the Test series against Ireland. He is primed to earn his 59th cap from the bench providing cover for starting scrum-half Morne van den Berg.

Morne van den Berg

Speaking of the starting halfback, Van den Berg gets a second opportunity to impress in 2025 after a standout performance against the Barbarians last week. Prior to the match, Erasmus likened the rookie to All Blacks great Aaron Smith but rued the fact that the Lions number nine hadn’t got the opportunity to shine in dry weather.

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The Boks are overflowing with options at scrum-half at the moment with Grant Williams fit again next week with veterans De Klerk and Cobus Reinach in the mix before one considers the likes of Jaden Hendrikse and Embrose Papier. But this week it is the Lions man who gets the nod in the starting line-up, where he is the only back not to have won a World Cup.

Vincent Tshituka

Erasmus issued 12 Test debuts in 2024, and in the first official Test match, he has handed just one with flanker Vincent Tshituka starting in the iconic number seven jersey.

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With Pieter-Steph du Toit scheduled to be fully fit next week, Tshituka has been tasked with filling the World Rugby Player of the Year’s void.

He is the only uncapped player who featured against the Baa-Baas to retain his starting role in the squad and rightly so after scoring twice in Cape Town and producing a workmanlike shift. While he impressed with ball in hand, he also worked relentlessly hitting more rucks (over 30 in total) than any other player and was excellent at lineout time.

Having obtained his ID and passport in time for the July internationals, Tshituka is not wasting his opportunity and has earned praise from the head coach.

“Vincent has fitted into our structures really well and he showed last week that he has the potential to play Test rugby, so we are excited to see what he can do against Italy and to see him make his debut,” said Erasmus.

Jean-Luc du Preez

It’s usually uncommon that Jean-Luc du Preez fits into the winners column on Planet Rugby after missing a Bok team but this time there is a life-changing reason for it, he is about to become a father.

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SA Rugby confirmed that the back-rower’s wife is expecting a child, which means that he has been replaced in the team by Jasper Wiese, who is fit again after missing the latter stages of the Japanese season through injury.

It’s a real shame that Du Preez has just 14 Test caps to his name, but to date there has not been a better reason for the abrasive back-rower to miss a team announcement.

Rassie Erasmus

“Siya unfortunately picked up a niggle, but Marco did a good job at flanker last week and he is one of the core players in our team, so we are blessed to have such depth in the squad,” Erasmus said in team announcement release.

Quite simply, few countries boast the quality and depth that South Africa does with a plethora of examples in this matchday squad alone.

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Erasmus has ‘dropped’ one of the form full-backs in World Rugby over the last 12 months and has replaced him with the youngest double World Cup winner.

With two hammer injuries at tighthead prop, the Bok boss won’t be stressed about the scrum too much with a serial winner on the bench, Vincent Koch, providing back-up to arguably the most destructive number three in the game right now in Wilco Louw. He has also included four world-class locks that are more than capable of starting in the second row for any country in the world.

Losers

Siya Kolisi

It’s a bit of a catch-22 for the Springboks captain. His absence this weekend means that if he does notch up his 100th cap for South Africa, it will not be on home soil.

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However, that could spark a rethink in how he is managed for the remainder of the year, which could benefit him in the long run.

If Kolisi were to reach the milestone on home soil, he would have had to play all eight of South Africa’s opening Tests this year to notch up his ton in Durban against Argentina – the Boks’ final home game of 2025.

Now, the coaching team will be able to manage his involvement and perhaps delay his milestone match to July next year. Only time will tell how it pans out.

Dropped newbies

As mentioned above, just one of the three uncapped players who featured against the Baa-Baas gets the chance to make their official debut this week, Tshituka.

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As for Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Marnus van der Merwe and Neethling Fouche, the wait continues as they fall victim to the insane front-row depth at Erasmus and scrum doctor Daan Human’s disposal.

Perhaps it is just a week delay with Erasmus hinting that the two teams for the Italy matches had been decided long in advance, but the trio will still have been somewhat disappointed not to get the nod for game one.

Thomas du Toit

After a hugely successful season with Bath, which included three titles, Thomas du Toit has finally linked up with the Springboks squad, but not early enough to be included in the matchday team.

The Springboks’ swing prop will surely feature in the second Test against the Azzurri, particularly considering the injury concerns in the propping positions.

As mentioned above, there is no shortage of quality Springboks front-rowers and perhaps a full week of training with the squad before earning another cap will do him well. Erasmus has stressed the need for players to train with the squad in order to bed-in the new plans and considering that Du Toit only joined the team on Sunday, his absence is understandable.

Ethan Hooker and Canan Moodie

After a hugely impressive season with the Sharks, Ethan Hooker earned his first official call up to the Springboks team but unfortunately for him, there are experienced internationals ahead of him in the pecking order.

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The youngster is capable of playing in the centres and on the wing but has had his debut blocked by the likes of world-class talents in Kriel, De Allende, Kolbe and Arendse.

He is not alone as Canan Moodie was unavailable for the opening game, as Erasmus opted against rushing the Bulls’ players back in when possible. The capped Springboks youngster now has to await with Hooker for yet another week or two to impress in Green and Gold.

Lock stocks

A further indication of just how deep the lock stocks at Erasmus’ disposal is the fact that Salmaan Moerat and Ruan Nortje have been overlooked while Jean Kleyn suffered an injury that has ruled him out of this clash.

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Despite Kleyn’s setback, the Boks opted not to call in any cover and rightly so with Moerat and Nortje providing plenty of quality. For Nortje, he would have hoped that his exploits on the side of the scrum with the Bulls would have given him a chance of filling in for Pieter-Steph du Toit but that won’t happen in Pretoria.

As for Moerat, one suspects that he may even captain the side against Georgia in Nelspruit but Erasmus has hinted at another new captain, not Kriel, leading the side at some point.