Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has hauled out the big guns for the first Test against Ireland, with 20 Rugby World Cup winners set to feature in the matchday 23 for Saturdays match at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
The three players in the match-day 23 who was not at the World Cup in France are prop Gerhard Steenekamp, lock Salmaan Moerat and utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu , who were picked on the bench as part of six-two split in favour of the forwards.
The team features eight changes to the one that beat Wales by 41-13 in London, as Erasmus welcomed back captain Siya Kolisi , Willie le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Handre Pollard, Marco van Staden, RG Snyman and Steenekamp.
This is the team we believe will give us the impetus we need against Ireland, who are the second highest ranked team in the world, said Erasmus.
We are blessed to have a lot of depth in our squad, and we are in a fortunate position to have several Rugby World Cup-winners in our ranks who know what it takes to perform at the highest level and play against the best teams in the world.
