Rassie’s Springboks embrace evolution as Italy clash beckons in Pretoria

FASTEN your seatbelts, Springbok fans. The ride with Rassie Erasmus's team is only going to get faster as South Africa evolve their attacking game, starting in earnest on Saturday in Pretoria against Italy.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

The Boks put 50 points past the Barbarians last week in pouring rain, underlining their commitment to greater attacking adventure as the 2027 Rugby World Cup looms on the horizon.

After naming 13 players from the Baabaas game in this week's matchday squad, Erasmus made it clear: evolve or die, as international rugby continues to morph each season.

"If you don't change, you get left behind. We started evolving when attack coach Tony Brown came in last year," Erasmus said. "You could see the intent last week, and if it wasn't so wet, more of the offloads would have stuck.

"This group of senior guys who are playing this weekend want to continue with that. This team will definitely not slot back to 2019 when it was a kick-and-chase, pressure game for us. This team on Saturday must try and get it right."

Erasmus has made just two changes to the backline that looked so threatening last week despite the conditions. Handré Pollard starts at flyhalf in place of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, while Damian Willemse returns at fullback — his first game for the Boks since the 2023 World Cup final — replacing Aphelele Fassi.

“As new blood comes in, we change,” Erasmus continued.