The curtain has been rolled and the stage set as the Springboks look to kick-start their 2025 international season in excellent style.
After winning 11 out of 13 matches in 2024, it appears that there is a standard to live up to. The Boks’ new recruits, Vincent Tshituka and Asenathi Ntlabakanye, will each be looking to make their mark in the absence of the experienced Pieter-Steph du Toit and Frans Malherbe. Both will be making their first appearances in the exhibition match against the Barbarians invitational team in Cape Town.
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On the eve of their iconic clash for the Qatar Airways Cup, it has now also been announced the double World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi has been withdrawn from the match-day team due to injury, opening the door for outside centre Jesse Kriel to captain the national team for the very first time in his career.
Jesse has been with the Boks since 2015, in an era where he honed his craft alongside Springbok greats like Bryan Habana, Jean de Villiers, and company. He also competed in 3 Rugby World Cups (2015, 2019, and 2023) and comes with a wealth of experience playing at the highest level.
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While this may be a major milestone for the Bok centre, it will be even more magical for 23-year-old Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. The Stormers fly-half has been tasked with running the ship in the absence of Handre Pollard, who just recently joined the squad after arriving from England.
Last year, Sacha, who currently plays for the Stormers in Cape Town, made quite an impression on the international stage but was unlucky to fall out of the squad because of injury. This ultimately saw him miss out on the Breakthrough Player of the Year Award at the World Rugby Award ceremony, but few can deny his attacking flair and high level of composure, which creates a threat to any opposition.
Speaking on Sacha’s performance earlier this week, Bok coach Rassie Erasmus said that while the young playmaker would be excited to show off some skill, finding balance is of utmost importance.
“Everybody is hyping him up, so it’s difficult for him to get into the field and not want to live up to that hype. You’ll want to make magic every single time … sometimes, it’s about bringing the balance where you stick to the 70 per cent basics and look after the 30 per cent dazzle.”
Also see: Bok Friday returns: Here are a list of essentials for game day
