BOK AANVINCE

VINCENT Tshituka’s will FINALLY get his Springbok shot after coach Rassie Erasmus selected the flanker to start in Saturday’s clash with the Barbarians at Cape Town Stadium.

The Democratic Republic of Congo-born Sharks yster, 26, is one of four uncapped players in the Bok matchday squad with Lions tighthead prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye also selected to start, while Stormers tighthead Neethling Fouche and hooker Marnus van der Merwe (Cardiff) will play off the bench.

Tshituka has been hammering on the door for a Bok kans since rising to stardom as a Lions player before his move to the Sharks, but problems with getting a South African ID kept him sidelined.

That red-tape was cleared up in April and Erasmus said of giving Tshituka, Ntlabakanye, Fouche and Van der Merwe a taste of Springbok rugby: “They have all slotted into our systems really well and have a good understanding of what we want to do in this match... This may not be an official Test match, but we are approaching it as such, and a good result will hopefully set us on course for an exciting season.

“Asenathi, Vincent, Neethling, and Marnus have all been impressive at training and for their respective franchises this season, and we hope to see them replicate those quality performances in this match.”

Meanwhile, Saturday’s clash will also see hemelbesem lock Lood de Jager make a return to Springbok rugby after last representing his country in a 2023 Rugby Championship Test match against the All Blacks.  

De Jager will partner up with Jean Kleyn in the engine room and of his return, Erasmus said: “Lood is in great form and hopped straight back into the thick of things with the intensity and work rate that we are used to seeing him deliver.”

Springboks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jean-Luc du Preez, 7 Vincent Thsituka, 6 Siya Kolisi (capt.), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Andre Esterhuizen.