Rugby
Kriel to captain Boks against Italy, Tshituka on debut─── MORGAN PIEK 16:37 Tue, 01 Jul 2025

The Springboks have named a new captain and one debutant for this weekend’s season-opening Test against Italy at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
The centre Jesse Kriel will lead the Springboks for the first time in a Test match, becoming the 67th player to captain the national side.
Kriel also led the team for the first time last weekend, when the reigning world champions beat the Barbarians 54–7 in Cape Town. He stepped into the role after regular skipper Siya Kolisi withdrew due to an undisclosed injury. Kolisi will also miss this weekend’s Test.
Jesse Kriel. Photo: Morgan Piek
Loose forward Vincent Tshituka is the only debutant named in the matchday squad. The Boks have opted for experience for what will be their first-ever Test against Italy in Pretoria.
Tshituka impressed against the Barbarians, scoring two tries in a standout performance for the Sharks flanker. Handré Pollard will marshal the backline, while Morné van den Berg will start at scrumhalf.
Meanwhile, Damian Willemse returns to the starting line-up at fullback. It will be his first Test appearance since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, where the Boks edged the All Blacks 12-11 in Paris.
Vincent Tshituka. Photo: Springboks
Up front, Lood de Jager will partner Eben Etzebeth in the second row. De Jager was excellent last week in his first appearance in the green and gold in nearly two years.
On the bench, veteran fullback Willie le Roux is set to earn his 99th Test cap when he runs on as a replacement. Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said the depth and experience in the squad gave them the opportunity to select a strong team for the series opener.
“We have a big squad, and we want to balance game time within the group, while also maintaining continuity in selection. We believe this is the best team for what we want to achieve against Italy,” said Erasmus.
Handré Pollard. Photo: Morgan Piek
“We’re also fortunate to have a few experienced players returning from injury who are eager to make their mark.” Erasmus added that Kriel earned the captaincy again after a solid performance leading the team last weekend.
“If you look through this team, there are so many leaders. We were impressed with how Jesse embraced the responsibility of wearing the captain’s armband. He’s a player who leads by example on and off the field, and he thoroughly deserves this honour.”
Saturday’s clash at Loftus will be the 17th Test between the Boks and Italy, and kick-off is scheduled for 17:10.
Springboks - 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché
Replacements - 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Franco Mostert, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Faf de Klerk, 23 Willie le Roux
Italy - TBA