Major show of confidence in new young Bok Porthen by Erasmus, with World Cup in sight

Destination Rugby World Cup 2027 begins for young tighthead prop Zachary Porthen this weekend as he has been catapulted into the Springboks’ starting line-up for their Test against Japan at Wembley Stadium on Saturday evening.

Porthen is just 21, but the Stormers prospect will be 23 when the next World Cup gets underway in Australia. Os du Randt, one of the all-time greats and a double World Cup winner, was 22 when he made his Springbok debut back in 1994, against Argentina at the old Boet Erasmus Stadium. It was the first of two matches against the Pumas and Du Randt was then on the end-of-year tour of Britain and Ireland that followed. He won the 1995 World Cup the following year, when he was still 22.

Former Junior Boks captain Porthen will become the youngest prop to make his Test debut for the Springboks in the professional era in London.

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus played a lot of rugby and coached with fellow Free Stater Du Randt, so for him to throw Porthen into Test rugby at such a young age and having played just five United Rugby Championship matches suggests how highly he rates the Junior Springbok captain.

But as usual with Erasmus, it is clear a lot of thought has gone into this dramatic selection, not just gut feel.

“Thomas du Toit is not available because it’s a Premiership rest period. The guys on the bench ― Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp and Wilco Louw ― have all scrummed together at the Bulls, and so we’ve given Zach a chance next to some really experienced guys in Malcolm Marx and Ox Nche,” Erasmus said on Tuesday in London.

“Sometimes these young guys are fearless and they just enjoy the moment if they start, but sometimes on the bench you can get nervous waiting. Japan scrummed well against Australia last week so it definitely won’t be easy for him and he’s one guy who maybe hasn’t had time yet to adapt to the way we do things. But he’s starting with a solid block behind and around him.

“I don’t know him that well, but Daan Human does and Dave Wessels has worked with him through the EPG structures. What I’ve seen of Zach, whenever he’s had the opportunity, he’s shown he’s a natural athlete. We played Canan Moodie when he was 19 and he scored the match-winning try against Marika Koriobete and Australia. Ethan Hooker is only 22.

“Tighthead is quite different though. But Os was young too when he first played for South Africa and Ollie le Roux was 21. I’ve probably spoken about 100 words to Zach in total, he seemed quite level-headed but obviously excited. He will have the team around him on Saturday,” Erasmus said.

Le Roux is perhaps the cautionary tale because he started at tighthead against England in Pretoria and came up against a legendary loosehead prop in Jason Leonard; the Springboks lost 32-15 and he did not play again for four years. Le Roux ended up with 54 Test caps, but only started on 10 more occasions, all of them at loosehead.

But Erasmus is right about Porthen having plenty of support around him. It is a very good Springbok side that has been lined up against Japan, who gave an under-strength Wallabies side a tremendous challenge last week before going down 19-15.

Apart from Porthen, South Africa will field a vastly-experienced, seasoned pack. The backline is also packed with players who have been there and done it, assisted by the thrilling youthful verve of flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and wing Ethan Hooker.

Erasmus has had some bad luck at fullback with Aphelele Fassi out with a season-ending injury and Damian Willemse picking up a hamstring strain playing for the Stormers in Italy last weekend.

But Cheslin Kolbe is a pretty good fill-in for the No. 15 jersey.

He has started before at fullback for the Springboks ― three years ago against Ireland in Dublin ― and has been the last line of defence more than 60 times in club rugby in France and Japan and for the Stormers.

Kolbe is one of the nine Japan-based players in the 23, and Erasmus said he was delighted to give them some game time ahead of probably tougher Tests, with the Top League season having not started yet.

Franco Mostert returns for his first match since the Cape Town game against Australia, while replacements Grobbelaar and Steenekamp were not involved in the Rugby Championship triumph.

Of course Erasmus and the players still get asked about Japan’s sensational win over the Springboks in Brighton at the 2015 World Cup, but it would certainly take a less-than-satisfactory performance on Saturday for this team to suffer the same fate.

Springbok team: 15-Cheslin Kolbe, 14-Ethan Hooker, 13-Jesse Kriel, 12-Damian de Allende, 11-Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10-Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9-Cobus Reinach, 8-Jasper Wiese, 7-Franco Mostert, 6-Siya Kolisi, 5-Lood de Jager, 4-RG Snyman, 3-Zachary Porthen, 2-Malcolm Marx, 1-Ox Nche. Replacements: 16-Johan Grobbelaar, 17-Gerhard Steenekamp, 18-Wilco Louw, 19-Ruan Nortje, 20-Andre Esterhuizen, 21-Kwagga Smith, 22-Grant Williams, 23-Manie Libbok.