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Porthen the bolter, but Japanese-based Boks the winners

football28 October 2025 16:14
By:Brenden Nel
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The big headline may well be Zachary Porthen’s inclusion at the age of 20 to make his debut before he has made double figures at franchise level, but there is always method in the team selection by Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus.

Porthen’s inclusion was because he has been so highly-rated by Daan Human, Erasmus’s scrum guru, and the Boks see this as the perfect opportunity to give him a start.

It may be a bit left field, but the youngster will be protected by a very experienced rest of the tight five, and there is a full front row on the bench that can come on at any moment should they be needed.

Erasmus also knows that to start is often better than to play a youngster off the bench.

As he said on Tuesday the nerves may get to him, so it is easier to throw him straight in.

Porthen is seen as a future prospect and joins the likes of Ollie le Roux, who was just younger than him when he made his Bok debut and Frans Malherbe, a year older when he got into the Bok team.

The more interesting selections come as the Boks are without some overseas based players - but Erasmus did admit that this test was specifically put there to ensure their Japanese-based players get some game time.

The genius of playing the Japanese based players against their teammates is one thing, but it also gives the Boks the luxury of having a squad that is match ready when they get to Stade de France next weekend.

KOLBE AT FULLBACK

So Cheslin Kolbe is at fullback because Damian Willemse’s hamstring is still not 100 per cent and the Boks don’t want to risk him.

It will be Kolbe’s second start at fullback, the first being in 2022 against Ireland in a game that the Boks narrowly lost.

There’s a return for Kurt-Lee Arendse, who makes his way back into the team after missing most of the Rugby Championship with injury.

Ethan Hooker predictably keeps his spot on the other wing.

The centre pairing of Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende continue to be the rocks in the midfield while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Cobus Reinach continue their partnership behind the scrum.

The only Japanese based player that isn’t playing is Pieter-Steph du Toit, who is rested, while Eben Etzebeth is also taking a breather.

That means the Japanese contingent is basically Kolbe, KLA, Kriel and De Allende, Franco Mostert (at 7), Lood de Jager and Malcolm Marx.

RG Snyman has been released by Leinster to play for the Boks this week, making it a very mobile pack that will be used to the pace of the game.

If you include Manie Libbok and Kwagga Smith on the bench, the Japanese based contingent grows even further.

GAME SPECIFICALLY TO GIVE JAPANESE-BASED PLAYERS GAME TIME

“It wasn't really a big challenge. We actually organised this game, this extra game against Japan, especially for the guys who play in the Japanese league, because they would have not played a lot of rugby if they didn't play a lot of test matches for us, and this fixture was organised for them,” Erasmus said.

“I think there's about 11 or 12 guys, we count Manie as well now, who actually play in the Japanese league. The plan was always to get these guys some game time, because we found in the past that when we go on the end of year tour, previously when we played Ireland and France and teams like that, we had a bit of a slow start.

“Some of our players who were based in Japan hadn’t really played a lot of rugby, and that's why this fixture was here. So you'll see the bulk of the guys are Japanese-based. I think the only guy that's not been picked, that probably could have been picked, is Pieter-Steph.

“We pick players from all over the world, we totally understand the logistics around the different protocols and different competitions, and when we start planning our season, we know that already. Like the Welsh test match at the end of the year will also be a bit of a challenge, because there's UFC fixtures on for some of our franchises that specific weekend.

POSITIVES

“But on the other hand, it's also the positive that we still can put a pretty strong team out there, and guys like Eben are not playing, guys like Canan Moodie and Damian Willemse aren’t playing.

“There's Faf de Klerk, he's not even in this group, because we wanted to get some game time in the Japanese league, because he would not have been in the mix for this specific game. So I can probably name quite a lot of more players, but I don't want to let it sound like I'm moaning. So no, we're fairly happy that this is what we wanted to try and achieve.

“Now the job is to try and go and win the match.”

Of Porthen being named in the starting team in his first week with the squad, Erasmus said: “He proved at Vodacom United Rugby Championship level and with the Junior Springboks what he can do, and we are looking forward to seeing what he can offer in his first test match.

“Obviously, he has a lot to learn this week, but we have experienced players in the squad who have been helping and guiding him, and we believe this is the right match to give him an opportunity to prove what he can do.

“At this level, you have to sink or swim, so although it will be a challenging week for him to learn our structures, it will also be a very exciting week for him.”

RESPECT FOR EDDIE

Commenting on the challenge Japan posed, Erasmus said it would be a tough encounter, especially if one looks at the strides they have made in the last few years.

“They are a quality team, and they have a top coach in Eddie Jones, so we have no doubt they’ll throw everything at us,” said Erasmus.

“They beat us in 2015, and they showed what a quality outfit they are in the first half of our 2019 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against them, so we are expecting them to come out guns blazing.

“They also lost by only four points against Australia last weekend, which is a testament to the improvement they have been making, so we need to be sharp on attack and defence if we want to get the result.

“Very little separates the top teams in the world, and if you are not on your game both mentally and physically on the day, anything can happen. So, we will treat them with the utmost respect, and we also know how important this match will be to set the tone for the rest of our tour.”

The match kicks off at 6:10pm (SA time) and will be broadcast live and exclusively on SuperSport.

Springbok team to face Japan in London:

15 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) – 46 caps, 126 points (21t, 3c, 5p)

14 Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 5 caps, 0 points

13 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 84 caps, 95 points (19t)

12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 93 caps, 55 points (11t)

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 27 caps, 105 points (21t)

10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) - 15 caps, 104 points (3t, 28c, 11p)

9 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 46 caps, 85 pts (17t)

8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 39 caps, 10 points (2t)

7 Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 81 caps, 20 points (4t)

6 Siya Kolisi (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 98 caps, 65 points (13t)

5 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 71 caps, 25 points (5t)

4 RG Snyman (Leinster) – 46 caps, 15 points (3t)

3 Zachary Porthen (DHL Stormers) – uncapped

2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 84 caps, 135 pts (27t)

1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 46 caps, 0 pts

Replacements:

16 Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls) – 3 caps, 0 points

17 Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 11 caps, 5 points (1t)

18 Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 24 caps, 0 pts

19 Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 13 caps, 0 pts

20 Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 24 caps, 10 pts (2t)

21 Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 59 caps, 55 points (11t)

22 Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 24 caps, 25 pts (5t)

23 Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners) – 24 caps, 133 pts (2t, 42c, 13p)

STATS & FACTS

Springbok record against Japan

Played 3; Won 2; Lost 1; Drawn 0; Points for: 99, Points against: 44; Tries scored 12, Tries conceded 4; Highest score 41-7; Biggest winning margin 34 points. Win per cent 66.7 per cent.

Miscellaneous:

- The Springboks’ only defeat against Japan was in 2015, when they went down 34-32 in Brighton in their Rugby World Cup pool opener.

- The last time the teams crossed paths was in the 2019 RWC quarterfinal in Tokyo, where the Boks registered a 26-3 victory, and went on to be crowned the world champions for the third time in history.

- Siya Kolisi will play his 99th test match, leaving him only one game short of becoming the ninth Springbok centurion in the history of the game.

- Zachary Porthen captained the Junior Springboks last year and will become Springbok #953 on Saturday.

- Jesse Kriel has scored 95 test points in his 84 tests and requires only five to make it to 100 in the green and gold.

- The total test caps in the Springbok starting line-up are 781. There are 316 caps in the backline, with 465 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 182 caps.

- The average caps per player in the backline is 45, the forwards 58, while the players on the bench average 23.

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