Kolbe And Willemse Hit Milestones As Boks Unleash Centurions On England At Ellis Park
Springbok backs Cheslin Kolbe and Damian Willemse will celebrate their 50th Test caps when South Africa open their Nations Championship campaign against England, eight years after making their international debuts.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has named an experienced side for the clash at Ellis Park, with Siya Kolisi set to captain the team for the 72nd time in a Test. The match will also mark the first meeting between South Africa and England at the Johannesburg venue since 2018, which was Kolisi’s first Test as captain.
The familiar starting XV will be backed by an exciting replacements bench as the world champions begin their campaign in the inaugural Nations Championship.
Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth, who both have more than 100 Test caps, feature in the pack alongside Jasper Wiese and Pieter-Steph du Toit in the loose trio, while Ruan Nortje partners Etzebeth in the second row.
The 2025 World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year and SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year, Malcolm Marx, starts at hooker between experienced props Ox Nche and Thomas du Toit.
Kurt-Lee Arendse joins Kolbe and Willemse in the back three, while Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende continue their established midfield partnership. Manie Libbok and Grant Williams have been named as the halfback pairing.
Erasmus has opted for a five-three split on the replacements bench, with Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Gerhard Steenekamp and Zach Porthen providing front-row cover. Marco van Staden and Cameron Hanekom, who returns to the squad for the first time since November 2024, complete the forward replacements.
The backline cover consists of Cobus Reinach, Andre Esterhuizen and Canan Moodie, all of whom offer valuable versatility.
Erasmus confirmed that Franco Mostert (utility forward) and Lood de Jager (lock) were unavailable for selection due to a niggle and illness respectively, while Riley Norton (utility forward) has been released from the squad after sustaining an injury.
Meanwhile, Ethan Hooker will join the squad in Johannesburg on Monday after recovering from the shoulder injury that has kept him sidelined since April.
“England are a quality outfit, and we are expecting them to give everything they have in this match, so it was important to select a squad with experience combined with a few younger players, who have proved that they have what it takes to perform at this level,” said Erasmus.
“The players have worked very hard at training, and they know what it takes to perform against a side of this calibre with a good coaching team, so we hope they can transfer that effort onto the field on Saturday.
“It was great to have a run against the Barbarians and Zimbabwe last week because it afforded some of our players valuable game time, but this weekend will be a completely different challenge.
“England are a settled team. They come off a Six Nations campaign earlier in the season and, like us, they will want to make a strong start to this exciting new competition, so we are expecting a bruising encounter.”
Erasmus also congratulated Kolbe and Willemse on reaching the 50-Test milestone.
“They have both been stalwarts for us over the years, and as a team we would like to make it a memorable occasion for them. It’s not every day that two players celebrate their 50th Test in the same match, so that certainly adds to our motivation this week.
“That said, England will come to Johannesburg as determined as ever, so it’s going to be a hard-fought contest. We’ll need to be accurate in every facet of the game and convert the opportunities we create into points. They will have the same mindset, so we need to hit the ground running if we want to start the competition well.”
The match kicks off at 17:40 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport. The opening fixture of the double-header begins at 13:30, when the Springbok Women host the USA for the first time on South African soil.
Springbok team to face England in Johannesburg
