Salmaan Moerat returns as Rassie Erasmus names Springbok team to face Italy

Moerat missed the first leg of the Nations Championship and the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Series due to neck and toe injuries, but has been now been included in what is largely a settled team.

Moerat will partner up with the hard-working Ruan Nortje in the engine room in a physical forward pack, which features the front row of Ox Nche, Thomas du Toit, and Malcolm Marx, while captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Jasper Wiese will pack down behind the lock duo in the loose trio.

The Bok backline is equally settled, with halfbacks Morne van den Berg and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu set to dictate play, alongside the experienced midfield pairing of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel, while Ethan Hooker, Kurt-Lee Arendse, and Damian Willemse will form an exciting back three.

Erasmus opted for a split of six forwards and two backs on the replacements bench. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Gerhard Steenekamp, and Wilco Louw will serve as the back-up front row, with Lood de Jager providing lock cover, and Cameron Hanekom and Paul de Villiers completing the forward complement, while Grant Williams and Manie Libbok will provide backline support.

The Springboks currently top the Southern Hemisphere standings, tied on 15 points with New Zealand, but in the number one spot because of a better points difference. The team will travel to Paris next to face France (Friday, 13 November) and then Dublin where they will meet Ireland (Saturday, 21 November) in their final pool match before the Finals Weekend, which concludes on Sunday, 29 November.

"We have three challenging matches ahead if we want to advance to the last game of the Finals Weekend, so our next three matches are going to be vital to lay a strong foundation for the tour," said Erasmus.

"All our energy is focused on the match against Italy for now Fortunately, some of the Japan-based players were able to travel to Italy earlier than the rest of the squad, so they have been working with some of the coaching staff for a few days already and are fully in the swing of things, while we had our first training session on Monday afternoon, so everyone is now on the same page."

Erasmus added: "With the majority of the squad having played together for most of the season, we are confident that the players who participated in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and French Top 14 will ease into things seamlessly this week at training.

"The fact that they are battled hardened after a few tough matches, will offer us a good balance with fresh players raring to go and others who come off a few challenging matches for their franchises and clubs."

Commenting on the six uncapped players in the travelling squad - Riley Norton, Emmanuel Tshituka, Luan Giliomee, Yaqeen Ahmed, Markus Muller, and Sebastian de Klerk -  Erasmus said: "They all joined us in camp today and are excited about the tour ahead, so we'll expose them to our structures this week and monitor how they progress and hopefully we'll be able to give them a chance to show what they can do at this level against top opposition in the next few weeks.

"They are special players, who all bring something different to the team, and we have full faith in their talent and skillsets."

With Italy currently ranked 11th in the world and determined to work their way up the Northern Hemisphere standings - where they currently occupy the last position on the log - Erasmus expected a spirited performance from the hosts.

"Italy are a quality team who will enter this match with immense motivation with an eye on trying to start their home leg on a positive note in front of their home crowd, and they have challenged us well before, so we have no doubt they will come out passionate and driven as ever," said Erasmus.

"They have quality forwards and backline players, and although they are missing a few key players due to injury, they have a talented squad with players who will certainly want to make their mark with the 2027 Rugby World Cup less than a year away, so they will give everything on Saturday.

"The vital factors for us, however, will be to be accurate in our execution and to play for the full 80 minutes, especially given the high stakes at the end of these three pool matches.

"Make no mistake though, they will be raring to go, not only with the Nations Cup in mind, but also to take full advantage of these matches as all the participating teams in the competition are preparing for the Rugby World Cup next year."

Springboks: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche

Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Paul de Villiers, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok

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