Rassie rings the changes, but the Springboks remain loaded for Scotland clash

Five players have kept their starting places from the resounding 45-21 win over England at Ellis Park, with only three - Jesse Kriel, Ruan Nortje and Paul de Villiers - keeping the same jersey.

Damian Willemse and Pieter-Steph du Toit also retain their spots but the former moves from fullback to inside centre and Du Toit switches from lock to a more familiar place on the side of the scrum. Du Toit will also retain the captaincy, with Siya Kolisi remaining out of contention with an injury.

All change, still stacked

The mass changes to the team were not unexpected, given the Springboks announced a 46-man squad for the Nations Championship and Erasmus' stated goal of giving opportunities across the group to balance the workload for a demanding 2026 season and to test combinations ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Regardless, the fact that the side is still so strong on paper despite being practically a new team showcases the enviable depth at the Springboks' disposal, which will only be further underlined with a top-class display against the Scots at Loftus.

There is an interesting side plot with the Boks playing in Pretoria and boasting seven Bulls in their starting XV. Not only will it give nearly half his side a huge boost playing at their home stadium, but it also sends a strong positive message that good domestic form will be rewarded, after the Bulls reached the final of the United Rugby Championship this season.

There is obviously a fair amount of risk from making so many changes to the team, especially given how well they played against England, and some might even suggest it shows a bit of disrespect to Scotland.

However, this is not the first time Erasmus has made drastic changes to his team week-on-week, and there is a high likelihood these teams - barring injuries - were pencilled in some time ago and would've been the same regardless of South Africa's result against England.

It also makes plenty of sense for the Springboks to be taking some risks and experimenting now rather than later on this season against the All Blacks or in a Rugby World Cup year. The fact that the team is still so stacked should also quash any suggestions of disrespect to the Scottish.

Pollard under pressure

One player that will be under a heavy spotlight will be flyhalf Handre Pollard, who experienced a noticeable dip in form toward the end of the URC campaign - especially with regards to his goal kicking.

He will be looking to have a big impact on the game to reassert his position in the squad and has plenty of catching up to do after Manie Libbok impressed at 10 against England. Kicking from the tee will be the key and the niche he needs to fill among the Springboks, with Libbok seeming to thrive without having to worry about goal kicking against England, with those duties being handed to Cheslin Kolbe for that match.

South Africa dominated the aerial game against the English, and with Aphele Fassi coming in at fullback, being backed up by Edwill van der Merwe and Canan Moodie on the wings, they somehow look even stronger in that area against Scotland.

Willemse's move to inside centre suggests Erasmus may be looking to effectively play with two flyhalves and take some of the creative pressure off Pollard, allowing him to focus more on his kicking.

Embrose Papier will slot in at scrumhalf and will make his first appearance for the Springboks since making his debut eight years ago. There may be some nerves and some rust at international level, but his inclusion is just reward for an outstanding URC campaign with the Bulls, and he should be coming into the game full of confidence.

Pack power

Paul de Villiers made his debut for the Springboks against England, and the 23-year-old did not look out of place for a second at international level. He is being rewarded for a strong URC season with the Stormers and an impressive first cap by retaining his place in the team for the Scotland clash.

With Kwagga Smith out for the entire 2026 season with injury, there is a huge opportunity for De Villiers to cement his place in the squad going into a Rugby World Cup year and, as a breakdown specialist, provide something a little different to the backrow combination that includes Evan Roos and Pieter-Steph du Toit.

Little needs to be said about the inclusion of the latter as one of the most consistent performers for the Springboks over the past decade and more, while Roos is also deserving of his opportunity after an outstanding season with the Stormers, and has earned another chance to prove he can make the step up to the highest level.

Ruan Nortje, Cobus Wiese, Wilco Louw and Johan Grobbelaar make it four Bulls in the tight five, with Edinburgh-based Boan Venter the only outsider. Considering how important forward dominance was to the Bulls' game plan this season, their familiarity and comfort playing together are going to present a tough obstacle for Scotland to overcome in the tight areas and set pieces.

Venter's inclusion is also something of a masterstroke as he will be familiar with a lot of the Scotland team and forward pack and adds significant scrumming power to the Bulls quartet.

Second-half impact

On the bench, Elrigh Louw has been included in a Springbok team for the first time since November 2024. He enjoyed a superb debut season for South Africa that year but was ruled out for the entire 2025 international season with a knee injury and a broken leg.

Louw will be champing at the bit to show what he can do after he wasn't called up to the initial Nations Championship squad but ended up getting a chance after Riley Norton picked up an injury.

Quan Horn is also an interesting selection among the replacements, with the Boks clearly acknowledging he has a role to play in the squad. He started against the Barbarians and did a good job at flyhalf, but also provides some versatility in his ability to play at fullback and on the wing, which allows South Africa to implement their now-infamous 6-2 split on the bench.

Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Zach Porthen as the prop replacements is an intriguing call because they are both very mobile front rowers and suggests the Springboks may be looking to switch up their play and up the tempo against tired Scottish legs in the second half rather than just grinding their scrum to dust for the full 80 minutes.

Springboks - 15. Aphelele Fassi, 14. Edwill van der Merwe, 13. Jesse Kriel, 12. Damian Willemse, 11. Canan Moodie, 10. Handre Pollard, 9. Embrose Papier, 8. Evan Roos, 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), 6. Paul de Villiers, 5. Ruan Nortje, 4. Cobus Wiese, 3. Wilco Louw, 2. Johan Grobbelaar, 1. Boan Venter

Replacements: 16. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17. Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18. Zach Porthen, 19. Ben-Jason Dixon, 20. Vincent Tshituka, 21. Elrigh Louw, 22. Grant Williams, 23. Quan Horn.