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South Africa’s double World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi is one of seven forwards among eight replacements in Rassie Erasmus’s matchday 23 for the Springboks’ tour opener against Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.
Veteran lock Eben Etzebeth will captain South Africa, who won this year’s southern hemisphere Rugby Championship, as the Springboks look to end 2024 by beating Scotland, England and Wales.
Etzebeth, already South Africa’s most-capped player of all time, will extend his record to 129 Tests, with back-row Kwagga Smith winning his 50th cap.
Franco Mostert and RG Snyman return to the Springboks’ second row after long spells out injured.
Veteran coach Erasmus has long favoured a forward-dominated bench, with outstanding flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit joining the so-called “Bomb Squad” among the Springboks’ replacements at Murrayfield.
Erasmus has made 11 changes to the starting team that thrashed Argentina 48-7 in the Springboks’ closing Rugby Championship clash in Mbombela in September.
Scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse is the only back to retain his place in the team, with full-back Willie le Roux set to win his 98th cap alongside wings Makazole Mapimpi and Canan Moodie.
Andre Esterhuizen and Lukhanyo Am are in midfield with Hendrikse and the experienced Handre Pollard the half-backs.
South Africa beat Scotland 18-3 at last year’s World Cup in France but will be facing a side buoyed by last week’s 57-17 rout of Fiji.
“They’re a team that never stop fighting,” said Erasmus of Scotland as he forecast “an epic battle”.
“In the Rugby World Cup last year, we were only three points up against them at half-time, and with the new dynamic they have brought to their game, we know it’s going to be an 80-minute battle.”
Tom Jordan will make his first Scotland start on Sunday after the New Zealand-born back came off the bench against Fiji.
Jordan has been selected at full-back in place of his injured Glasgow team-mate Kyle Rowe.
Toulouse’s Blair Kinghorn, Toulon scrum-half Ben White and Bath fly-half Finn Russell are the three other changes to coach Gregor Townsend’s starting side.
They were unavailable last weekend for a match that took place outside World Rugby’s designated window for November internationals.
Kinghorn, Scotland’s regular full-back, is on the wing after Darcy Graham, who scored four tries against Fiji, was ruled out with a head injury.
White and Russell replace last weekend’s half-back duo of Ali Price and Adam Hastings, who both miss out entirely.
Teams (15-1)
Scotland
Tom Jordan; Blair Kinghorn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu (capt), Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell, Ben White; Jack Dempsey, Rory Darge, Matt Fagerson; Scott Cummings, Grant Gilchrist; Zander Fagerson, Ewan Ashman, Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: Dylan Richardson, Rory Sutherland, Elliot Millar Mills, Max Williamson, Josh Bayliss, Jamie Ritchie, Jamie Dobie, Stafford McDowall
Coach: Gregor Townsend (SCO)
South Africa
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 (capt); Thomas du Toit, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche
Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese, Grant Williams
Coach: Rassie Erasmus (RSA)
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