Rassie mixes up starting team and selects radical bench

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has opted to move away from the team that smashed Argentina to clinch the Castle Lager Rugby Championship in Nelspruit six weeks ago for Sunday’s clash with Scotland in Edinburgh.

South Africa's most capped player Eben Etzebeth leads a team against the Scots at Murrayfield that features no less than 11 changes from the side that started the 48-7 win at Mbombela Stadium. Many of the players you’d expect to be facing England in the big game of the tour the following week though can be found on the bench, where Erasmus has switched back to his most radical split from last year's World Cup final against New Zealand - there are seven forwards and just one back in the form of the versatile Sharks scrumhalf Grant Williams who can also play wing if needed.

With Willie le Roux restored to fullback for what will be his 98th Test match in the green and gold as he closes in on the magical three figure mark, Erasmus clearly feels he has the versatility to enable him to go without a back-up specialist flyhalf. Handre Pollard returns to the 10 jersey ahead of Manie Libbok, the man of the match against Argentina.

There are in fact six changes at the back in the starting team, although there is no lack of experience among those players who have come in - apart from Le Roux’s advance towards becoming a centurion for the Boks, 2019 World Cup winner Makazole Mapimpi starts moving towards the half century mark as he plays his 46th game for his country.

Mapimpi’s Hollywoodbet Sharks teammate and fellow 2019 hero Lukhanyo Am will be playing his 41st game, while Pollard will be pulling on the jersey for the 78th time. Andre Esterhuizen is back at No12 for the first time since he was red carded against Portugal seven matches ago. He is on 18 caps along with another Sharks player, scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse, who is the only starter at Murrayfield who also played in Nelspruit, while Canan Moodie, with 11 caps, is on the wing and is the player with the least international experience in the backline.

Talking of experience, Franco Mostert’s return to the No5 jersey makes the second row for Sunday’s game the most experience lock pairing the Boks have had in a while, with Mostert’s 77th cap coinciding with skipper Etzebeth 129th as he moves well clear of the previous record set by Victor Matfield.

There is an entirely new back row for this game, with Marco van Staden returning to the No6 jersey in place of regular captain Kolisi, Elrigh Louw taking up blindside flank in place of Pieter-Steph du Toit and Kwagga Smith wearing the No8 instead of Jasper Wiese. However, all three of the players who have been left out of the starting team are on the monster bench, along with Malcolm Marx and the returning Bomb Squad specialist of the 2019 World Cup triumph, RG Snyman.

With Gerhard Steenekamp and Vincent Koch also among the reserves, the Boks have the material to make an impact on the game should it be necessary that could be as radical as the selection might be perceived to be.

What is surprising is that Aphelele Fassi, so brilliant against Argentina and surely in the frame to start against England at Twickenham, is not in the match day 23 to build up some confidence ahead of that game. There again, you could say the same about Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe and other established first choice players who are missing out completely in this game.

The safety net provided though by the heavyweight phalanx of forward reserves mitigates against it being seen as a risky selection and the psychological impact of having such celebrated players coming on to face them in the second half could just contribute to it being a very difficult 80 minutes for the hosts.

The only players who played at Mbombela who will be starting again in this game are Hendrikse, Etzebeth, Bongi Mbomambi and Ox Nche. Thomas du Toit will be wearing the No3 in place of the injured Frans Malherbe, who had to withdraw from the tour before departure because of an injury sustained playing for the DHL Stormers against Glasgow Warriors two weeks ago.

Springbok team: Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Handre Pollard, Jaden Hendrikse, Kwagga Smith, Elrigh Louw, Marco van Staden, Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth (captain), Thomas du Toit, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche. Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenkamp, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese, Grant Williams.