Rassie backs Bok debutants to shine

Cape Town - Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has backed the trio of Sbu Nkosi, Aphiwe Dyantyi and RG Snyman to shine against England on Saturday.

Those players are the three debutants in the South African starting line-up for the clash at Ellis Park, and while they are all being thrown into the deep end, Erasmus has seen enough to know that they have what it takes to perform at this level. 

"Sbu last year already was close to making the team, if I read the reports correctly," Erasmus told media in Johannesburg on Thursday.

"What I watched from Ireland, he was definitely one of the standout wingers and this year again he has been really physical and has done a lot of great work on attack and defence.

"He has certainly improved in the areas where we maybe thought he was vulnerable."

Turning his attention to Dyantyi, Erasmus said he was "excited" to see what the speedster could dish up on Saturday.

"Aphiwe is an exciting youngster," said Erasmus.

"He is playing at home. He's consistently performed well at centre and at wing for the Lions, so I think it's a wonderful opportunity."

Snyman, the third debutant, will be looking to drive the Boks forward from the engine room.

"A guy like RG Snyman has been without a doubt one of the standout second-rowers in South Africa," Erasmus explained.

"It's form that has been rewarded for those guys."

Kick-off on Saturday is at 17:05. 

Teams:

South Africa 

15 Willie le Roux, 14 Sbu Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Trevor Nyakane/Wilco Louw, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Tendai Mtawarira

Substitutes: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Wilco Louw/Thomas du Toit, 19 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Warrick Gelant

England 

15 Elliot Daly, 14 Jonny May, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Owen Farrell (captain), 11 Mike Brown, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Chris Robshaw, 5 Nick Isiekwe, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola

Substitutes: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Brad Shields, 20 Nathan Hughes, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Piers Francis, 23 Denny Solomona

VIDEO: Rassie Erasmus on S’bu Nkosi, Aphiwe Dyantyi and RG Snyman, who will make their Test debuts against England. #RSAvENG pic.twitter.com/0BCjPzRD9Q

— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) June 7, 2018