SA Rugby
Springbok loose forward Kwagga Smith will earn his 50th Test cap on Sunday when the Springboks line up against Scotland at Murrayfield in their opening Castle Lager Outgoing Tour match.
Locks Franco Mostert and RG Snyman return after long spells on the sidelines due to injury in a strong team named by coach Rassie Erasmus, who named Eben Etzebeth as captain with Siya Kolisi starting from the bench.
The 31-year-old Smith, who made his Springbok debut against Wales in Washington in 2018 and went on to win two Rugby World Cup winner’s medals, will start at No 8.
Mostert returns to the team for the first time since recovering from the broken leg he suffered against Ireland in the Castle Lager Incoming Series and Snyman is fully fit after a foot injury sustained in Australia in the build-up to the first Test against the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship, which ruled him out of the team’s triumphant campaign.
Erasmus opted for a split of seven forwards and one back on the replacements’ bench and made 11 changes to the starting team that defeated Argentina in their closing Rugby Championship clash in Nelspruit in September.
The game kicks off at 18h10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Springbok team to face Scotland in Edinburgh:
15 – Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) – 97 caps
14 – Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 11 caps
13 – Lukhanyo Am (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 40 caps
12 – Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks) - 18 caps
11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 45 caps
10 – Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers) – 77 caps
9 – Jaden Hendrikse (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 18 caps
8 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 49 caps
7 – Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 10 caps
6 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 23 caps
5 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 76 caps
4 – Eben Etzebeth (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 128 caps
3 – Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 21 caps
2 – Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 75 caps
1 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 37 caps
Replacements:
16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 73 caps
17 – Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 8 caps
18 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 58 caps
19 – RG Snyman (Leinster) – 37 caps
20 – Siya Kolisi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 89 caps
21 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 84 caps
22 – Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 31 caps
23 - Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 15 caps
