Salmaan Moerat will take over the Springbok captaincy for the first time when he leads a squad featuring seven uncapped players in a first Test with emerging nation Portugal in the final match of the Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has defended the squad he announced to face Portugal in the final match of the Castle Lager Incoming Series in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
The squad features seven uncapped players in his training squad and will be captained by Salmaan Moerat
The 26-year-old Moerat becomes the 66th Springbok captain, and the third in four tests this year, as he makes the step up having previously led SA Schools, the Junior Springboks and the DHL Stormers.
“Most of the so-called younger players have been exposed to Test rugby in one way or another by either playing against Wales or Ireland or have been around the squad so they are all well aware of the standards we expect on the field and the way we do things
All the uncapped players, apart from Ruan Venter, were also members of our training squad in June, and we were very impressed with the way they fitted into our structures and their work ethic.
We have full faith in their abilities, and we’re excited to see what they offer on the field on Saturday,” said Erasmus.
The match marks the first appearance of the Test season for RWC winners Lukhanyo Am, Manie Libbok, Cobus Reinach, Trevor Nyakane and Thomas du Toit.
Eight players were members of the match-23 that defeated Wales 41-13 in London in the team’s opening match of the season in June.
The coach added that squad also includes a few Rugby World Cup (RWC) winners and experienced campaigners, whom he said will play a vital role in guiding the young players and keeping things calm in the pressure situations.
Erasmus said he doesn’t take the Portugal game lightly and is confident that he has selected a strong squad.
“Portugal are a quality team as we saw with their victory against Fiji in the RWC, while they also drew their clash against Georgia 18-18.
It was important for us to select a quality team with a bunch of experienced players, while at the same time delivering on our objective of growing our squad depth by naming a few debutants,” explained Erasmus.
The coach said the match is also an opportunity for the team to correct some of the mistakes made during the loss to Ireland and finish the Castle Lager Incoming Series on a high note.
Springbok team to face Portugal in Bloemfontein:
