Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus has named his team to face France in Round Five of the Nations Championship, making just two changes for Friday’s Stade de France clash.
Louw starts in the front row, Reinach returns to the bench, and Etzebeth misses out despite rejoining the squad in France on Monday morning.
The world champions arrive in Paris off a 66-7 demolition of Italy in Turin, and Rassie Erasmus has resisted heavy rotation as the Boks chase a place in the competition final.
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Louw in, Du Toit to the bench
Louw packs down alongside Ox Nche and Malcolm Marx, with Thomas du Toit dropping to the replacements in a rotational switch.
Erasmus said the front rows are well settled. “We made a rotational switch with Wilco and Thomas,” he said.
Franco Mostert, Cameron Hanekom and Paul de Villiers provide forward impact off the bench.
Reinach back for France
Cobus Reinach replaces Grant Williams among the replacements, covering scrumhalf and wing. Erasmus pointed to his club experience in France as a factor.
Lood de Jager and Ruan Nortje continue in the second row, with captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese completing the loose trio.
The backline is unchanged: Morne van den Berg and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at halfback, Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende in midfield, and Ethan Hooker, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Damian Willemse at the back.
Will Etzebeth play against France?
No. Eben Etzebeth, the most-capped Springbok in history, will not feature this week. Erasmus explained the lock needs time to readjust after a spell on the sidelines.
“Eben just arrived in France, and although we know what he brings to the team, we feel it would be better for him to get back into the swing of things this week,” he said.
Read more about Etzebeth’s record-breaking career.
Why Erasmus kept it settled
Erasmus said continuity was always the plan on this tour.
“We said from the outset that we would not rotate too much, so it was always our intention to select a settled squad to build momentum,” he said.
Sixteen of the match-23 played in last year’s 32-17 win over France in Paris, and ten featured in the 29-28 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal in 2023.
The Boks have enjoyed a strong season, notably the Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks, which included a 33-26 victory at Cape Town Stadium to level the series.
France hit by playmaker crisis
France lead the northern hemisphere standings but have lost Romain Ntamack to a serious shoulder injury, ruling him out for the rest of the competition.
With Matthieu Jalibert and Thomas Ramos also unavailable, Fabien Galthié has recalled veterans Gaël Fickou and Teddy Thomas.
Bok team to face France
South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Paul de Villiers, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Manie Libbok.
For the official squad profiles and upcoming fixtures, visit the SA Rugby Springboks page.
When is kick-off?
Friday, November 13, at 22:10 SAST (21:10 CET; 20:10 GMT) at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy).
We will update this page with any late team changes and post-match reaction.
