There may have been some surprise that the Springboks decided not to name Eben Etzebeth in their side to face France in the Nations Championship humdinger in Paris on Friday night, but other than that selection, the Bok coach Rassie Erasmus named possibly his strongest side to face the Six Nations Champions.
After smashing Italy 66-7 in Turin on Saturday, the Bok coach showed faith in most of the players who did the demolition job, but made two telling changes to the match day 23 that strengthens them even more.
Wilco Louw, widely regarded as the strongest tighthead in the world right now, moves back into the starting line-up after playing off the bench on Saturday, doing a straight swap with Thomas du Toit.
That means the Bok starting line-up has a mean look about it, with Louw, World Player of the year Malcolm Marx and loosehead Ox Nche fronting up against the French.
On the bench Cobus Reinach moves into the back-up nine spot ahead of Grant Williams, and the Boks will look to use his experience playing in France for Montpellier in the past as part of their strategy to get the victory they need to stay on course for the Nations Championship final.
Lood de Jager will stay as the team’s four lock after a good performance in the position against Italy, with the Boks deciding not to bring Etzebeth, who was initially out of the touring squad with injury, straight back into action.
ETZEBETH LEFT OUT
Erasmus said he felt that Etzebeth should rather get himself back into the camp system before they unleash him. It is likely he will play against Ireland next weekend in Dublin.
“Eben just arrived in France, and although we know what he brings to the team, but we feel it would be better for him to get back into the swing of things this week after some time on the sidelines,” Erasmus said.
“Lood and Franco are also very experienced players and they have been training with us for almost two weeks now after arriving in Italy the week prior to last week’s test match. They’ve both faced France in high pressure matches and delivered, so we know what we have in them and what they will bring to the team this week.
De Jager will team up again with Ruan Nortje, with Salmaan Moerat, who was due to play Italy but withdrew after suffering back spasms in the warm-up, still on the sidelines and questionmarks still about his participation in the team.
The loose trio stays the same with Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese ready to cause havoc while Saturday’s man of the match Morne van den Berg and flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu directing things behind the pack.
Rassie Erasmus has opted for consistency, making only two changes to the #Springboks match-23 to face France in Paris on Friday - more here: https://t.co/QIZMGBmzkE #ForeverGreenForeverGold https://t.co/fYQG1jYOOM
— Springboks (@Springboks) November 9, 2026
BACKLINE THE SAME
The rest of the backline stays the same with Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende in the midfield, and Ethan Hooker, Kurt-Lee Arendse, and Damian Willemse serving as the back three.
The Bok coach also retained the split of six forwards and two backs on the bench, where utility forward Franco Mostert and loose forwards Cameron Hanekom and Paul de Villiers, will provide an impact alongside the front row of Wessels, Steenekamp, and Thomas du Toit, while Reinach – who covers scrumhalf and wing – and Manie Libbok have been named as the two backline players.
“Our front rows are well settled and have all been playing together for a few seasons, so we made a rotational switch with Wilco and Thomas, while Cobus is also very familiar with the French conditions as he played club rugby here, so we thought bringing him into the mix would be good against a quality French outfit.”
CONTINUITY IS STRENGTH
The Boks had a total of 16 players who were involved in last year’s 32-17 win over France with 14 players. That figure is incredible if you realise that other than Nche - who was injured - the same pack played in that game.Five of the backs in the run-on team – Feinberg-Mngomezulu, De Allende, Kriel, and Willemse were also there. Ten players in the group were members of the team that defeated France 29-28 in the quarterfinal of the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
“We said from the outset that we would not rotate too much on this tour, so it was always our intention to select a settled squad for this game to build momentum in the competition,” said Erasmus.
“Most of these players have faced France at home and know what to expect from them, and they have also experienced their passionate and vocal crowd first-hand.”
The Bok coach expected a colossal encounter against France, who will always have revenge on their minds since the Boks beat them by a single-point in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal.
“Matches between us and France are always intense, and this week will be no different,” said Erasmus.
FRANCE WILL BE DANGEROUS
“Both teams have everything to play for, with France leading the northern hemisphere standings and the team being ranked fourth in the world, and we are in a similar situation trying to hold onto the top spots in the respective Nations Championship hemisphere tables, so this match is vital for both sides to try to advance to the final of the competition in a few weeks.
“They also always have a passionate crowd behind them that will definitely fuel their team, but we also enjoy the atmosphere at Stade de France, so neither team will give an inch.
“Our focus though is on what we want to do as a team, so it will be vital to execute our game plan accurately and make the most of the point-scoring chances we create.
“They have a good pack of forwards and dangerous backs, so we need to be at our best to get the desired result.”
The test kicks off at 10:10pm (SA time) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
SPRINGBOK TEAM TO FACE FRANCE IN PARIS:
15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 56 caps, 81 pts (9t, 9c, 4p, 2dg)
14 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Mitsubishi Dynaboars) – 36 caps, 135 pts (27t)
13 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 95 caps, 125 pts (25t)
12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 104 caps, 65 pts (13t)
11 Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 15 caps, 15 pts (3t)
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 26 caps, 221 pts (10t, 59c, 15p)
9 Morne van den Berg (10bet Lions) – 12 caps, 42 pts (8t, 1c)
8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 51 caps, 20 pts (4t)
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 103 caps, 75 pts (15t)
6 Siya Kolisi (captain, DHL Stormers) – 108 caps, 80 pts (16t)
5 Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears) - 25 caps, 5 pts (1t)
4 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 79 caps, 25 pts (5t)
3 Wilco Louw (DHL Stormers) – 37 caps, 15 pts (3t)
2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 95 caps, 145 pts (31t)
1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 54 caps, 5 pts (1t)
Replacements:
16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 16 caps, 10 pts (2t)
17 Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 24 caps, 10 pts (2t)
18 Thomas du Toit (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 38 caps, 10 pts (2t)
19 Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 86 caps, 20 pts (4t)
20 Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls) – 7 caps, 10 pts (2t)
21 Paul de Villiers (DHL Stormers) – 6 caps, 10 pts (2t)
22 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 57 caps, 100 pts (20t)
23 Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners) – 35 caps, 149 pts (2t, 50c, 13p)
STATS & FACTS
Springbok record against France:
Played 47; Won 29; Lost 12; Drawn 6. Points for: 1026, Points against: 737. Tries scored 115, Tries conceded 66. Highest score 52-10; Biggest win 42 points. Win % 61,7%.
Miscellaneous:
- Jesse Kriel and Malcolm Marx will both enter the match with 95 test caps to their name, meaning they require only four more test appearances after this weekend to join the exclusive club of Springbok centurions.
- Ten players in the matchday squad played in the RWC quarterfinal against France in 2023, while 16 players were involved in the match-up between the team's last season.
- The Springboks have won the last five matches between the teams in Paris, dating back to 2013. Les Bleus last won a match against the Boks in the French capital in 2005.
- Siya Kolisi will lead the Springboks for the 70th time when he takes the field. In his last match against France, he earned the significant milestone of becoming the ninth Springbok centurion in history.
- The total test caps in the Springbok starting line-up are 896. There are 344 caps in the backline, with 552 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 269 caps.
The average caps per player in the backline is 49, the forwards 69, while the players on the bench average 34.