It will not be a walk in the park for the Springboks when they face a brutal Georgia outfit, who will front up in the collisions against the world champions on Saturday, says coach Rassie Erasmus.
After demolishing Italy 45-0 in Gqeberha last weekend, the Boks are bracing themselves for a physical contest against Georgia, who will be out to prove a point in Mbombela (kickoff 5.10pm).
The clash marks the return of skipper Siya Kolisi from injury after he missed the Boks’ opening matches against the Barbarians and Italy.
Kolisi will pack down at flank alongside Pieter-Steph du Toit and No 8 Cobus Wiese, who takes over from his brother Jasper after he was suspended for four matches due to a red card against Italy.
Eben Etzebeth returns to the side with Ruan Nortjé in the second row, while props Boan Venter and Neethling Fouché make their debuts for the four-time Rugby World Cup winners.
“We know how passionate and intense this Georgian side is, and they will be determined to make a strong statement against us,” Erasmus said.
“So we selected some experienced players who we would like to get more game time before the Rugby Championship.
“We also picked a few younger players who have put up their hands for another run, so we are pleased with the balance we have in this group.”
The Boks have won the past two matches against Georgia, the last of which was in 2021 before the British & Irish Lions series.
“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,” Erasmus said.
“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 we continue to lift our standards, build momentum and get the desired result.
“We have got some good experience on the bench, and we have some proper locks and loose forwards behind them.
“So we’ve gone for a bit of balance, in throwing the rookies in against a team that we know enjoys scrumming like us.
“If you ask guys who’ve played in France, like Daan Human [Bok scrum coach], there are a lot of Georgians who play there and they love scrumming.
“So we know that these three guys starting this game will need the back five to make sure they do OK, and there is no better test to do that in than this match.
“We would have loved to have played Siya in Gqeberha, that’s his hometown, and it was really tempting to push him back one week early. But now we feel it was the right choice.
“We did fairly well against Italy last week, where we felt we didn’t do so well in the first Test match. We felt we controlled the game a little better, and now that the game is gone and we have a Siya that we know is 100% fit, it’s great to have him back.
“He’s our captain, even though we were able to give Jesse Kriel some valuable experience leading, and this weekend we have Damian de Allende as our vice-captain.
“So we are also trying to mix it up because we know after Georgia it will be tougher to do that.”
Bok assistant coach Deon Davids said Georgia would have a point to prove in Mbombela.
“We’ve heard they want to play in the Six Nations, and they will see this match as a step in trying to achieve that,” he said.
“We have our own standards, and we know where we want to be going into the Rugby Championship later in the season.
“So this is a huge game for us to try to improve and build on what we have achieved so far.”
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