Springboks vs Georgia

The Springboks are undefeated at Mbombela Stadium. On Saturday they face Georgia in the final Castle Lager Incoming Series match of 2025. The Boks are primed, knowing from past experiences that they will have the help of 33 000+ Lowvelders, to keep their unblemished record intact.

Double Rugby World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi returns from injury to take over the captaincy for first time this season in an exciting squad named by Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus.

The match-day 23 for the Castle Lager Incoming Series game was announced at a press conference at the Southern Sun Emnotweni on Tuesday afternoon.

ALSO READ: IN PHOTOS: Wave of green and gold welcomes Springboks back to the Lowveld

In 2013, Kolisi made his Bok debut at Mbombela Stadium. He replaced Arno Botha in the seventh minute of the match against Scotland and went on to win the man of the match award in a 30-17 victory.

Boan Venter, who was called up to the Bok squad in June as injury cover at prop, will start in completely new 355kg front row, with fellow prop Neethling Fouché and hooker Marnus van der Merwe, who both had their first taste of Springbok rugby in the team’s 54-7 victory against the Barbarians.

Kolisi features in a loose trio with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Cobus Wiese after missing the last three matches due to niggles.

Erasmus’s team features only five players who started last week, and eight in total from the match-23 that defeated Italy 45-0 in Gqeberha.

The inclusion of Kolisi and Venter in the squad, meanwhile, increases the size of the group used by Erasmus so far this season to 46 players, with the match day squad featuring 15 Rugby World Cup winners.

The five players who retained their places in the starting line-up are Edwill van der Merwe (wing), Canan Moodie (centre), Grant Williams (scrum half), Pieter-Steph, and Ruan Nortjé (lock), while Cobus Wiese and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (fly half) are promoted from the bench to starting team, with Thomas du Toit (prop) starting among the replacements.

Edwill, who scored two tries in his second match in the green and gold last week, has been named in a playmaking back three with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Aphelele Fassi, while Moodie joins forces with Damian de Allende in the midfield, and Williams pairs up with Feinberg-Mngomezulu at halfback.

Up-front, apart from a brand new front row and rejigged loose trio, Eben Etzebeth will link up with Nortjé in the engine room.

Erasmus named a five-three split in favour of the forwards on the replacements bench, where Vincent Koch and Thomas (both props), and Bongi Mbonambi (hooker) will serve as the impact front row, along with RG Snyman (lock) and Kwagga Smith (loose forward).

Faf de Klerk (scrum half), Handré Pollard, and Damian Willemse (both utility backs), in turn, will provide backline cover.

Erasmus was excited to see the three uncapped players and Kolisi in action and said: “We wanted to make sure that Siya is 100% fit before selecting him, so it’s great to have him back in the squad, while Boan, Marnus and Neethling have been training hard and deserve their chance.

“Marnus and Neethling played against the Barbarians, so they have an idea of what international rugby is about, while Boan has shown great potential at club level and with the squad in the last few weeks, and we are looking forward to seeing him play.”

Zoning into his team selection, Erasmus said: “We know how passionate and intense this Georgian side is, and they will be determined to make a strong statement, so we selected some experienced players who we would like to get more game time before the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, and a few of the younger players, who have put up their hands another run, so we are pleased with the balance we have in this group.

“Georgia are a tough outfit, and they pride themselves on their physicality and brute force in the collisions, so the set pieces, mauls and breakdowns will be key areas,” said Erasmus.

“They also have quality backline players to round off their team, so we need to be sharp in all the departments of our game to ensure that we continue to lift our standards, build momentum, and get the desired result.”

• The Georgia match-day 23 will be announced today at 17:00.

Springbok team to face Georgia:
15 – Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
14 – Edwill van der Merwe (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
13 – Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls)
12 – Damian de Allende (Wild Knights)
11 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls)
10 – Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers)
9 – Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
8 – Cobus Wiese (Vodacom Bulls)
7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz)
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks)
5 – Ruan Nortjé (Vodacom Bulls)
4 – Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
3 – Neethling Fouché (DHL Stormers)
2 – Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets)
1 – Boan Venter (Edinburgh).
Replacements:
16 – Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
17 – Thomas du Toit (Bath)
18 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
19 – RG Snyman (Leinster)
20 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs)
21 – Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles)
22 – Handré Pollard (Vodacom Bulls)
23 – Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers).

Lowveld born-and-bred Marnus van der Merwe will earn his first Springbok cap against Georgia in his hometown, Mbombela, on Saturday. After nine years of professional rugby, Van der Merwe has achieved his dream.

Last year Van der Merwe made a decision, incorporating a two-year plan to become a Bok. He left his beloved Cheetahs and moved to Wales with the aim of reviving his career. His plan was achieved in just over one year.
The 115kg, 1.86m hooker will be part of an uncapped front row with Boan Venter and Neething Fouché.

“Marnus is a hell of a competitive guy. The fight that he has showed in training sessions, the fight he shows in the scrum when he up against Bongi Mbonambi, Malcolm Marx and Jan-Hendrik Wessels with different props – he had to move it up a level in terms of keeping the intensity up. But now, three weeks later he is managing it. So its time to put him in a test match. I am very impressed with the natural fight he has inside him. He is not a guy to give up. He grew up in Nelspruit – it’s lekker, it’s very lekker,” said Springbok coach, Rassie Erasmus, at the team announcement at the Southern Sun Emnotwenti on Tuesday.

Van der Merwe first played rugby as a nine-year-old in the colours of Laerskool Laeveld.

He attended Hoërskool Nelspruit from which he matriculated in 2015.

He played for the Pumas U13 Craven Week team in 2010, and the U18 team in 2014 and 2015.

Van der Merwe then moved to Bloemfontein where he first played for the U20 Cheetahs and then for the senior team.

In 2024 he signed a contract with the Scarlets and moved to Llanelli, Wales.

On July 1 of that year Van der Merwe’s ‘Mission Springboks’ commenced.

“I told my wife when we went over to Wales that I have a two-year plan to work my way into the Bok set-up,” Van der Merwe said after being selected for the Boks for the match against the Barbarians three weeks ago.
Van der Merwe’s career flourished at the Welsh club. The Scarlets backed him in his mission, with forwards coach, Albert van den Berg, buying into the plan. An improved Van der Merwe would benefit the club. He was voted Scarlets’ Supporters’ Player of the Season and was named in the BKT URC Elite XV for 2024/25 season. The hooker was invited to a Springbok alignment camp in February 2024 and in February this year, and the rest is history.

Van der Merwe played for the Boks against the Barbarians. The match was not an official test so he was not credited with a cap. On Saturday he will earn that cap, not far from Laerskool Laeveld’s fields were he first practised and played the game, a young barefoot laaitie with a dream to play for his country.

Three other former Lowvelders, Faf de Klerk, Vincent Koch and Kwagga Smith will be in action for the Springboks on Saturday.

De Klerk was born in Mbombela on October 19, 1991. From U9 level, he played for Laerskool Bergland’s A team and also captained the school’s first team. He attended Hoërskool Nelspruit in grades eight and nine before he transferred to Hoërskool Waterkloof. He played for the Airlink Pumas from 2012 to 2015.

Smith was born in Lydenburg and first played rugby for Laerskool Lydenburg before attending HTS Middelburg.
Koch made Mbombela his home when he played for the Airlink Pumas from 2013 to 2016.

Mbombela Stadium is one of two in South Africa where the Springboks have never lost. The other is the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, however, the Boks have played only one test there, a 21-20 win over the All Blacks in 2006.

On Saturday, it will be just over four years since South Africa last played Georgia. The Springboks won the match on July 2, 2021, at Loftus Versfeld 40-9. The game was played in an empty stadium due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Seven of the 2021 match-day squad will be in action on Saturday – Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Handré Pollard, Kwagga Smith, Damian Willemse and Bongi Mbonambi. The only other match between South Africa and Georgia was in Sydney during the 2003 Rugby World Cup, which the Boks won 40-16.

The Boks have played five matches and won five in Mbombela. In 2013, they defeated Scotland 30-17, and in 2014 beat Wales 31-30. In 2016, South Africa played against Argentina and won 30-23. South Africa won the 2022 match against the All Blacks 26-10, and also defeated Argentina 48-7 in 2024.

“There was a mass of people in the stadium during our warm-up, and the noise made it difficult to hear one another. We felt it immediately; it was electric. I could not sing the national anthem. I did not expect such a rendition from the crowd. They really carried us throughout the game,” coach Rassie Erasmus.

A little known fact is that a sixth rugby test match has been played at Mbombela Stadium. It was also the first-ever rugby international match played at the stadium. In 2013 Samoa defeated Italy 39-10. The match was the first of a double-header on the day. The second match was the one between South Africa and Scotland.

The name of the game for the Springboks this weekend will be to hunt for the win, but there are a few interesting facts and stats to keep in the back of your mind going into Saturday’s match.

• Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok of all time to 133 test matches when he takes the field.
• This match will be Siya Kolisi’s first match back in the green and gold in 2025.
• Kurt-Lee Arendse requires only five more points to score 100 test points.
• Kolisi will require only seven more test appearances after this match to become the ninth Springbok to earn 100 test caps.
• The total test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 484.
• There are 165 caps in the backline, with 319 caps amongst the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 437 caps.
• The average caps per player in the backline are 24, the forwards 40, while the players on the bench average 55.
• Marnus van der Merwe is the first former Laerskool Laeveld learner to play for
the Springboks, and the fifth from
Hoërskool Nelspruit to play for the 15-man national team.

What is the best way to reach the stadium on time?
• Bus lanes are reserved on Samora Machel Drive and the Mataffin ring road to get to the stadium quickly.
• Privately chartered buses and mini-bus shuttles are welcomed.
What does park-and-ride cost?
• It’s a free service for all match ticket holders.
• At school pick up points a R100 parking fee is payable per vehicle.
At what time intervals do buses depart?
• Buses will depart once full otherwise every 15 to 30 minutes.
• Buses operate from 12:00 to 22:00 but the last buses leave the stadium between 21:00 and 21:30.
How do I know which bus to take before and after the game?
• Before the game buses go straight to the stadium.
• After the game buses follow a circular route to all venues.
• Post-match get onto the bus at the same place you were dropped.
• Mbombela points load east of the stadium at gate A.
• White River points load east of the stadium at gate B.
• Riverside points load south of the stadium at gate E.
What do I do if I boarded the wrong bus?
• When boarding ask the driver to make sure where he is heading.
• Buses serve all stops in their sector on the return trips.
What times do the park-and-ride operate?

Where do I go when I am a permit holder (hospitality, VIP, disabled, media)?
• Clearly display your permit and you will be ushered to Matsafeni Drive via the reserved lanes.
• At the stadium you will be ushered to your designated parking area.
• Please make use of the stadium link road between Riverside and Mataffin
Can I park at the stadium if I am not a permit holder?
• Yes you may if you are early and you get there timeously (early bird parking available from 10:00 onwards, until full).
• Limited general public parking is provided, but if it is full you have to divert to park & rides.
Do I have to pay for the parking?
• No, early bird parking in the outlying adjoining stadium parking areas is free (first come, first serve).
• Local communities provide security and marshalling services – please tip your car guard.
Where can I park at the stadium?
• The outlying old sports fields and the pecan orchard on the perimeter of the stadium precinct.
• Overflow parking is available north of Samora Machel Drive (opposite Halls Gateway).
• Please park where you are marshalled to and do not reserve parking spaces.
Will there be road closures?
• Yes, when the free parking is full (or after 15:00), Samora Machel Drive will be closed.
• Closure will be between the Mataffin village traffic light and the N4-Mataffin split.
• Permit holders will still be allowed in after closures, but general traffic will be turned away.

Download the map HERE