Young fly-half Moyo to debut for Springboks against Wales / Photo: © AFP
Young fly-half Moyo to debut for Springboks against Wales
Sharks fly-half Vusi Moyo will debut for South Africa against Wales in a Nations Championship third round match in Durban on Saturday.
The 20-year-old was part of the team crowned world under-20 champions last year and is among four new caps named by head coach Rassie Erasmus on Monday.
Another Shark, winger Jaco Williams, and two France-based forwards, tighthead prop Carlu Sadie from European champions Bordeaux-Begles and Montpellier lock Ruben van Heerden are the other debutants.
Sadie and Van Heerden started and Moyo came off the bench in a season-opening win over the Barbarians in Gqeberha last month, but it was a non-cap exhibition match.
The quartet are among 10 changes to the starting team that defeated Scotland 42-28 in Pretoria last Saturday.
Centre Damian de Allende, wing Kurt-Lee Arendse, scrum-half Cobus Reinach, No. 8 Jasper Wiese, hooker Malcolm Marx and loosehead prop Gerhard Steenekamp are all recalled.
Another South African playing in France, Bayonne scrum-half and 2019 Rugby World Cup winner Herschel Jantjies, is among the eight replacements.
The bench has a five-three split and includes a trio -- Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Andre-Hugo Venter and Marco van Staden -- who can fulfil the hooker role.
Erasmus also made 10 changes for the Scotland Test after starting the Nations Championship campaign with a victory over England in Johannesburg.
The head coach, a key figure in the 2019 and 2023 World Cup triumphs of the Springboks, has promised his squad that each player will get a chance to impress this season.
- Build depth -
The aim is to build depth with Erasmus saying he wanted at least five players challenging for every position ahead of the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
"We are excited to see what the uncapped players, as well as those who have not been in the mix for a while, bring to the team," said Erasmus.
"This squad shows an exciting mix of youth and experience, and while we are under no illusions about the threat Wales poses, we are looking forward to seeing what these players can do.
"Wales put up a good fight in their Six Nations matches against Scotland and Ireland, and they defeated Italy in their final match of the tournament.
"They also beat Fiji in the Nations Championship before going down against Argentina in a competitive match, so they are on the rise and will come out with a point to prove this weekend."
South Africa top the southern hemisphere standings in the new competition after two rounds. They are level on 10 points with arch-rivals New Zealand, but ahead on points difference.
South Africa (15-1)
Aphelele Fassi; Jaco Williams, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Kurt-Lee Arendse; Vusi Moyo, Cobus Reinach; Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit (capt), Paul de Villiers; Ruben van Heerden, Cobus Wiese; Carlu Sadie, Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp
Replacements: Andre-Hugo Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Wilco Louw, Ben-Jason Dixon, Marco van Staden, Herschel Jantjies, Manie Libbok, Damian Willemse
Coach: Rassie Erasmus (RSA)
(U.Kabuchyn--DTZ)
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