Tshituka Set for Springbok Test Debut Against Italy in Pretoria

Vincent Tshituka will officially earn his Springbok Test debut this Saturday when South Africa kicks off their Castle Lager Incoming Series against Italy at Loftus Versfeld. Head coach Rassie Erasmus has named a balanced, experienced squad for the Pretoria clash, with Jesse Kriel captaining the Boks in a Test for the very first time.

Erasmus has kept faith with the core of the side that impressed in last weekend’s 54-7 win over the Barbarians in Cape Town, selecting 13 players from that dominant performance. With Siya Kolisi sidelined by a niggle picked up last week, Kriel retains the captaincy, making him the 67th Springbok captain. The experienced Eben Etzebeth returns from injury and will serve as vice-captain.

The match also marks a special comeback for Damian Willemse, who is set to make his first appearance for the Boks since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final. His 2024 season was hampered by injuries, and a recent suspension saw him miss the Barbarians fixture.

Adding to the excitement, Faf de Klerk is also back in the mix after being out since the Ireland Test in 2024 due to injury. Powerful loose forward Jasper Wiese also makes his return.

The backline remains largely unchanged from last week, with Willemse starting at fullback and Handré Pollard coming in at flyhalf. Pollard will partner lively scrumhalf Morne van den Berg in an exciting halfback pairing.

Willemse joins a thrilling back three that includes Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, while the midfield stays settled with Damian de Allende and Kriel continuing their partnership.

Up front, Erasmus has made three changes. Wiese replaces Jean-Luc du Preez, who has stayed home with his expectant wife. Etzebeth slots into the second row for the injured Jean Kleyn, and Wilco Louw starts at tighthead prop alongside Ox Nche and Malcolm Marx.

On the bench, the Boks will once again go with a 6-2 split between forwards and backs. Bongi Mbonambi, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Franco Mostert, and Kwagga Smith offer plenty of power among the replacements. The backline cover comes from De Klerk and the experienced Willie le Roux, who is on the brink of his 99th Test cap.

“We have a big squad, and we would like to balance the game time within the group, while at the same time maintaining continuity in selection, and we believe this is the team that will be best suited for what we want to achieve against Italy,” said Erasmus.

“We are also fortunate to have a few experienced players back from injury, who will be keen to make their mark in the game.”

Addressing Kolisi’s injury, Erasmus explained: “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 also praised Kriel’s leadership: “If one goes through this team, there are so many leaders, and we were impressed with how Jesse accepted the responsibility of wearing the captain’s armband last week. He is a player who leads by example on and off the field, and he thoroughly deserves this honour.”

Tshituka, who scored twice in a standout showing against the Barbarians, now has the chance to make his full Test debut.

“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.

Looking ahead to the Italian challenge, Erasmus added: “They are a quality team with a strong pack and quality backs, and their passion for the team and their country is incredible, so we expect them to throw everything at us.

“They also play an exciting brand of rugby, so it will be important for us to stick to our structures and deliver a quality performance all around to get the desired result.”

Springbok team to face Italy in Pretoria:

15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 39 caps, 56 points (4t, 9c, 4p, 2 dg)

14 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) – 40 caps, 111 points (18t, 3c, 5p)

13 Jesse Kriel (captain, Canon Eagles) – 79 caps, 90 points (18t)

12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 87 caps, 55 points (11t)

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 24 caps, 90 points (18t)

10 Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls) – 80 caps, 772 points (7t, 109c, 168p, 5dg)

9 Morne van den Berg (Emirates Lions) – 2 caps, 0 points

8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 34 caps, 10 points (2t)

7 Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – uncapped

6 Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 25 caps, 10 points (2t)

5 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 66 caps, 25 points (5t)

4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 131 caps, 35 points (7t)

3 Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 16 caps, 0 points

2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 76 caps, 105 points (21t)

1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 39 caps, 0 points

Replacements:

16 Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 77 caps, 70 points (14t)

17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 3 caps, 5 points (1t)

18 Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 61 caps, 0 points

19 RG Snyman (Leinster) – 40 caps, 10 points (2t)

20 Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 78 caps, 20 points (4t)

21 Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 51 caps, 45 points (9t)

22 Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles) – 58 caps, 50 points (5t, 5c, 5p)

23 Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) – 98 caps, 75 points (15t)

Stats and facts:

Springbok record against Italy:

Played 16; Won 15; Lost 1; Points for: 764, Points against: 195; Tries scored 102, Tries conceded 16; Highest score 101-0; Biggest win 101 points. Win%94%.

Miscellaneous:

The Boks have played Italy seven times in South Africa, but this will be the first Test between the sides at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, where the hosts have a 78% win record (32 wins from 41 Tests). Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok to 132 caps when he takes the field. Damian Willemse will play his first match for the Springboks since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand, which the Boks won 12-11. Should Willie le Roux take the field, it will mark his 99th Test match for the Springboks, putting him in line to become only the eighth Springbok centurion in history. He made his Test debut against Italy in Durban in 2013. The Springboks have faced Italy 16 times and won 15 of those matches. Their only defeat was in Florence in 2016, where Italy pipped the Boks by 20-18. In the 15 matches the Springboks have won against Italy, they only scored fewer than 30 points on three occasions. The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 738. There are 351 caps in the backline, with 377 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 466 caps. The average caps per player in the backline is 50, the forwards 47, while the players on the bench average 58.