Edwill van der Merwe is set to spark for the world champion Springboks as one of four uncapped players in the matchday 23 to face Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.
Winger Van der Merwe and flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse, both from the Lions, will start the Boks’ first outing since winning the World Cup in October.
Utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and loose forward Ben-Jason Dixon, teammates at the DHL Stormers, start on the bench.
Edwill van der Merwe
Injuries to first choice wingers Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie opened the door for Van der Merwe.
The inclusion of the 28-year-old came after he was ignored for two brief alignment camps ahead of the Twickenham Test.
Possessing speed and a physical presence, Van der Merwe last March became the first South African to score 20 tries in the Vodacom URC.
Born in Western Cape rugby cradle Stellenbosch, he made his professional debut for Western Province, starred for the Stormers and joined the Lions three years ago.
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Jordan Hendrikse
Rugby is entrenched in the Hendrikse family with 22-year-old Jordan following older brother Jaden into the Springbok fold.
Scrumhalf Jaden was part of the 2023 World Cup-winning squad, but could not be considered for the Wales Test due to injury.
Jordan, a teenage debutant for the Lions three years ago, is reportedly leaving the Johannesburg outfit to join Jaden at the Sharks in Durban.
While preferring to play at flyhalf, he also lined up at centre and fullback for the Lions, and turned out for the Blitzboks in 2022.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
Jacques Nienaber, who switched to Leinster after the 2023 World Cup triumph, has described 22-year-old Feinberg-Mngomezulu as “a brilliant rugby player”.
“He is athletic, fast, agile and skilful. Fortunately for South Africa he opted to play rugby as he was equally good at football.”
Rassie Erasmus favours versatility and Sacha fits the bill perfectly as he can play at fullback, centre and flyhalf.
Also eligible to play for England through his father, Feinberg-Mngomezulu chose the green and gold.
Ben-Jason Dixon
The 26-year-old has been compared with two-time World Cup winner Pieter-Steph du Toit, who will captain South Africa against Wales as regular skipper Siya Kolisi is unavailable.
He earned his 50th cap for the Stormers in the URC this season and has consistently impressed with his never-say-die attitude and workrate.
“Ben-Jason is a hard worker and possesses the qualities to become a world-class loose forward,” says Stormers assistant coach Rito Hlungwani.
“Apart from his work-rate and great attitude, he has a superb tackling technique. If you want to know how to execute the perfect tackle, watch Ben-Jason.”
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images