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Springboks’ Willie le Roux during a match.
Veteran fullback, Willie le Roux, will become the eighth Springbok centurion on Saturday when South Africa meet Italy in the second test at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.
Le Roux is one of just seven players in the 23-man matchday squad who featured in the first test at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria last weekend.
A new look team, which will be captained by Salmaan Moerat, includes three uncapped players on the bench. They are prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye, utility forward Cobus Wiese and utility back Ethan Hooker.
The seven players who will face the Azzurri for the second week in a row are Le Roux, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Marco van Staden and Jasper Wiese, all of whom have been named in the starting lineup, while Ox Nche and Jan-Hendrik Wessels will make an impact off the replacements bench.
The backline has also been overhauled. Regular captain, Siya Kolisi, is still being managed for niggles and was not considered, while World Rugby Player of the Year, Pieter-Steph du Toit, makes a welcome return from injury and starts at flank.
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South Africa’s eighth Test centurion will be joined by three uncapped players in the #Springboks‘ match-23 for Saturday’s return Test against Italy in Gqeberha 💯#ForeverGreenForeverGold
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 8, 2025
