Rugby World Cup-winning prop Vincent Koch will earn his 50th Test cap on Saturday when the Springboks take on Wales at Twickenham in their first international since lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in France in October last year as Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus named an exciting matchday 23 that will be captained by flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit and features four uncapped players.

Edwill van der Merwe (wing) and Jordan Hendrikse (flyhalf) are the two uncapped players named in run-on team – which features a good balance of youth and experience – while Ben-Jason Dixon (lock) and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (utility back) are the two new faces on the replacements bench.

A total of 10 players in the matchday squad featured in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, while 16 players were members of the Rugby World Cup squad.

Erasmus welcomed back experienced hooker Malcolm Marx, who last ran out for the team in their opening World Cup encounter against Scotland before suffering a knee injury at training which ruled him out of further tournament action.

Thirty players will travel to London on Wednesday night, with those outside of the matchday squad being Manie Libbok (flyhalf), RG Snyman (lock) – both RWC winners – Neethling Fouche (prop), Phepsi Buthelezi (loose forward), Ethan Hooker (centre), Quan Horn (fullback), and Andre-Hugo Venter (hooker). 

With Snyman plying his trade in Ireland, he will make the short flight to London to join the squad following Munster’s exit from the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in the semi-final last weekend against the Glasgow Warriors.

Five players in the starting team featured in the same positions in the international extravaganza at Stade de France in October last year, where the Springboks pipped the All Blacks 12-11 to be crowned world champions for the second time in a row. They are the duo of Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert, Du Toit, Faf de Klerk and Jesse Kriel – who has been named as the vice-captain for this match. 

Erasmus opted for a five-three split in favour of the forwards on the replacements bench, which includes four Rugby World Cup winners – Bongi Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe, Grant Williams, and Damian de Allende respectively.

“This is an exciting playing squad and travelling group, and we are looking forward to seeing how the uncapped players step up at top international level and how we execute what we’ve been working on at training in the last few days and at the alignment camps,” said Erasmus. “The likes of Edwill, Jordan, Ben-Jason, and Sacha have really impressed us at training, and we believe they have what it takes to make their presence felt against a quality team such as Wales.

“They will be surrounded by several experienced campaigners – some of whom are Rugby World Cup winners – so they will have enough guidance on the field to fulfil their roles even when the pressure is on. It is equally exciting for us to see players such as Aphelele (Fassi), Evan (Roos), Ntuthuko (Mchunu), and Salmaan (Moerat) back in the green in gold after earning their stripes in the last few seasons.”

Erasmus was confident that the remaining members of the travelling squad would benefit immensely from being exposed to the Test environment and to experience first-hand what is required of them during a Test week, and he had no doubt it would also bode well for the team as the Boks prepare for the 2024 season with a long-term view on the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

Commenting on the decision to hand Du Toit the captaincy, Erasmus said it was not only well deserved, but also personal for the player since the first and only time he led the team was against Wales in Washington in 2018 – a Test the Boks lost 22-20.

“Pieter-Steph has been a key figure in our system for several years now and he’s a player who leads by example on the field,” said Erasmus. “We have a strong core of senior players in this group, and we had a few options for captain, but we feel Pieter-Steph will be the right man to lead the team this week.

“He has captained the Springboks only once before and that was against Wales in 2018, and after that result, we believe it will make this match even more personal for him. Over and above that, he has immense respect from his team-mates and the coaches, and we know he will accept this responsibility with great pride.”

Erasmus was delighted to see Koch earn his 50th Test cap and lauded the player for being a stalwart for the Boks.

“It’s a special achievement to play 50 Tests,” said Erasmus. “It requires one to play well consistently and to continue to deliver, and Vincent has certainly done that for us over the years. He’s a hard worker, and he’s had a great season for the Sharks, so we all share in the excitement for him ahead of this big occasion.

“Being such a good team man, I’m sure this will motivate the team even more to start the season on a high note, which will be vital to build momentum before the Castle Lager Incoming Series kicks off against Ireland in July.”

Erasmus was pleased with the quality of the squad selected, especially with several regular first-choice players recovering from injuries and niggles including Cheslin Kolbe, Lukhanyo Am – who has been allowed to continue his rehabilitation from rib and shoulder injuries with the squad – as well as Damian Willemse among others, to add to a list of players who are ineligible for selection due to the Vodacom Bulls advancing to the grand final of the Vodacom URC and the Test falling outside of the international window.

“We knew what challenges we would face in selecting the squad for this training camp and the Wales Test, but as a team we turned it into a fantastic opportunity to blood a few youngsters and expose them to the national set-up, which will be vital in the next few years as we build a squad capable of trying to win the Rugby World Cup in 2027,” said Erasmus. “We are already reaping the rewards of exposing a few players to Test rugby in the last few years, with some of them being selected for the World Cup, while a few of the players taking the field on Saturday already know what it takes to succeed at international level.

“Building squad depth is one of our key pillars as a team, and this camp and Test match, as well as the one coming up against Portugal in Bloemfontein in the Castle Lager Incoming Series, will allow us to tick that box with an eye on the next few years.”

Springbok team to face Wales at Twickenham:

15 – Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 3 caps, 10 points (2t)

14 – Edwill van der Merwe (Emirates Lions) – Uncapped

13 – Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 68 caps, 75 points (15t)

12 – Andre Esterhuizen (Harlequins) – 16 caps, 0 pts

11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 41 caps, 130 points (26t)

10 – Jordan Hendrikse (Emirates Lions) – Uncapped

9 – Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles) – 55 caps, 50 points (5t, 5c, 5pg)

8 – Evan Roos (DHL Stormers) – 5 caps, 0 points

7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain – Toyota Verblitz) 77 caps, 40 points (8t)

6 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 40 caps, 35 pts (7t)

5 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat, Japan) – 73 caps, 15 points (3t)

4 – Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 119 caps, 30 points (6t)

3 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 49 caps, 5 points (1t)

2 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 64 caps, 85 points (17t)

1 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 27 caps, 0 pts

Replacements:

16 – Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 68 caps, 65 points (13t)

17 – Ntuthuko Mchunu (Hollywoodbets Sharks) 1 cap, 0 points

18 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 69 caps, 5 points (1t)

19 – Salmaan Moerat (DHL Stormers) – 3 caps, 0 points)

20 – Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers) – Uncapped

21 – Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 8 caps, 10 points (2t)

22 – Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – Uncapped

23 – Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 78 caps, 55 points (11t)

Stats and facts:

Springbok record against Wales

Played 41; Won 33; Lost 7; Drawn 1; Points for: 1 071; Points against; 658; Tries scored: 126; Tries conceded: 54; Highest score: 96-13; Biggest win: 83 points; Win %: 80%

Miscellaneous:

Pieter-Steph du Toit will lead the Springboks for the second time in his illustrious career – the first time was against Wales in Washington in 2018 when he became the 60th Springbok captain.
Four of the last six matches between the Springboks and Wales were decided by five points or less.
The Springboks have won five of their last 10 Test matches against Wales – the last of which was a Rugby World Cup warm-up game in Cardiff in August last year, which the Boks won 52-16. The Springboks’ eight tries in that match saw them rack up a record number of points against Wales on Welsh soil.
The match marks a significant career milestone for Vincent Koch as he earns his 50th Test cap.
The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 637.
There are 183 caps in the backline, with 454 caps among the forwards. On the bench there are a further 227 caps.
The average caps per player in the backline is 26, the forwards 56, while the players on the bench average 28.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Rugby.

For further information, please contact:    

Andy Colquhoun
GM: Communications and Commercial
+27 (0) 21 928 7010
+27 (0) 82 926 0789
andyc@sarugby.co.za

De Jongh Borchardt
Communications Manager
+27 (0) 21 928 7021
+27 (0) 82 999 9979
dejonghb@sarugby.co.za

Rayaan Adriaanse
Junior Rugby Media Manager
+27 (0) 21 928 7013
+27 (0) 82 999 0022
rayaan@sarugby.co.za

Sindiswa Ximba
Media Operations Coordinator
+27 (0) 21 928 7011
+27 (0) 60 504 1069
sindiswa.ximba@sarugby.co.za

Zeena Isaacs
Springbok Media Manager
+27 (0) 21 928 7020
+27 (0) 82 357 3112
ZeenaI@sarugby.co.za

JJ Harmse
Sevens and Women’s Rugby Media Manager
+27 (0) 21 928 7014
+27 (0) 71 480 4570
jjharmse@sarugby.co.za

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G-7 leaders meeting at their summit in Puglia, Italy have reaffirmed support for multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects across Africa to realise the continent’s economic potential and transformation.

US President Joseph Biden and current G-7 President, the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, co-chaired a special ad hoc meeting on the sidelines of the summit to review the G7’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) and its links with Italy’s recently unveiled Mattei Plan for Africa.

The meeting, which reviewed the PGII’s accomplishments and delivery on commitments since its 2022 launch, was also attended at CEO level by Italian and US representatives from the financial, energy and digital private sector with a wide portfolio in the African continent.

Italy told the gathering it was joining US and EU efforts to promote sustainable development along the Lobito Corridor—committing to strengthen collaboration and mobilize an additional aggregate contribution of up to $320 million in investment in support of the core rail infrastructure and of the related side projects, with a view to additionally creating synergies with the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA).

The Lobito Corridor is connected by a stretch of railway infrastructure snaking through mineral- and oil-rich parts of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia. It connects Southern and Central Africa, and provides access to Eastern Africa and a pathway to the Atlantic Ocean.

It is typical of the mega infrastructure projects supported by the African Development Bank to ensure Africa attains its stated aim of complete economic transformation, sustainable development and poverty elimination.

Expressing his thanks for being invited to participate at the prestigious G-7 summit, Bank President Dr Akinwumi Adesina told world leaders that the African Development Bank had invested over $50 billion in quality infrastructure in Africa over the past eight years. He stated that the African Development Bank is the continent’s leading financier of infrastructure in Africa.

However, he cautioned that: “Africa has an infrastructure financing gap of $68-108 billion annually.” This needs to be addressed to realise Africa’s ambitions, strongly supported by the G-7, to become a major global economic powerhouse.”

In support of the G7’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) goal of mobilizing $600 billion in infrastructure investment in emerging economies, a coalition of US investors highlighted and committed anew billions of dollars in private investment in scaled infrastructure in emerging markets, aligned with PGII priorities.

In a joint statement, the co-chairs welcomed Italy’s renewed commitment to boost development in Africa including by deepening partnerships with African Nations through its Mattei Plan and stressed their commitment to increase coordination between PGII, MPA and the EU’s Global Gateway “to maximize our collective impact as we work to develop transformative economic corridors in Africa.”

The Italian Private Sector also added its voice to the growing chorus of those urging greater investment in Africa. In the context of this engagement, the Mattei Plan for Africa has launched new financial instruments in collaboration with the African Development Bank, open to international partners’ contributions.

Welcoming the renewed commitments to Africa’s economic transformation, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen recalled the PGII initiative was only two years old and came about as a response to the pandemic and food crisis caused by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

“At that time we joined forces and said that we needed a major investment programme for infrastructure abroad. PGII was born. The European Union is contributing EUR 300 billion through Global Gateway, and it is fantastic that we also have the Mattei Plan joining now.

“We wanted to create an alternative for infrastructure investment. It is not only the financial firepower that is impressive, but PGII is sustainable: It is good for the planet and for a country’s finances,” she said.

The meeting confirmed the commitment to launching and scaling investments around PGII economic corridors globally, including corridors in Asia, Africa, and one connecting Europe to Asia through the Middle East, noting appreciation for the wide range of current and future investment by private companies in strategic sectors, such as finance for green energy and digitalization. 

The co-chairs also welcomed the Africa Green Industrialization Initiative (AGII) as a key platform for collaboration on infrastructure investment in Africa and celebrated the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) commitment of up to $100 million in philanthropic catalytic investment capital to unlock an additional $1 billion in private finance. The participants also recognized GEAPP as one of the key partners in implementing distributed renewable energy generation, battery storage, and e-mobility projects. 

Apart from the Lobito corridor, Dr Adesina listed a whole raft of the other projects the Bank was supporting to change the face of Africa.

These included:

financing with $1 billion the 1,110 km transport corridor that’s linked Ethiopia to Nairobi and Mombasa, expanding trade between them by 400%.
partnering with the US and EU Global Gateway to finance the Lobito corridor between Angola, Zambia and DRC. The African Development Bank is providing $500 million to finance Zambia’s end of the corridor.
financing the $3.2 billion central rail corridor that links Tanzania, DRC and Burundi, through securitization.
financing with $213 million the energy transmission line linking Mauritania and Mali and the Rosso bridge linking Senegal and Mauritania.

However, he said a major challenge remained the “lack of bankable projects, which has to do with the lack of enough project preparation facilities.”

The African Development Bank set up the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA), with $500 million for project preparation and development, to mobilize $10 billion in private investments into green infrastructure to fast-track Africa’s net zero transition.

“AGIA has received global support and was profiled by Italy at the G7 finance ministers and central governors meeting (https://apo-opa.co/3XsaKf2). I wish to thank the G7 for providing $150 million of support towards AGIA,” he concluded.

Italy and the United States are further collaborating on clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and e-mobility projects, starting with potential projects in Kenya.

Lastly, the G-7 leaders welcomed Italy’s G7 Presidency’s efforts to promote effective implementation of PGII and enhance investment coordination with partners through the establishment of a new Secretariat.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Contact:
Jonathan Clayton
Communication and External Relations Department
email: media@afdb.org

About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org

With over 32% of South Africans struggling to find jobs (https://apo-opa.co/3XrLQfh), it is no wonder that scams targeting job seekers are becoming more common. “Cybercriminals are always evolving their tricks to match the latest trends,” asserts Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy and Evangelist at KnowBe4 AFRICA (https://www.KnowBe4.com). “As job-searches on social media grow , so does the potential for recruitment-related fraud.”

Types of recruitment scams

There are two types of recruitment scams, although they all have the same aim: conning you into giving them money or your personal details. The first kind involves impersonation, in which fraudsters pose as legitimate recruiters and reach out to you via WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, LinkedIn or email. “They may use stolen logos and profile pictures of very attractive people to lure you into thinking they’re from an HR department or recruitment firm,” explains Collard.

Recently, there have been scams where fraudsters posed as the Department of Employment and Labour to advertise fake job opportunities. In these incidents (https://apo-opa.co/4cscWan), individuals seeking jobs were required to pay R250 upfront for supposed “background checks” at PEP stores. Similarly, job seekers from the North-West province fell victim (https://apo-opa.co/4cscWqT) to a scheme where they paid for transportation to an interview and half-day training in Centurion, only to find out that the job offers were non-existent.

The second type of scam involves fake job postings. Using legitimate job boards, scammers post fake job offers to get your personal information. “Facebook, with its broad user base, is particularly desirable for scammers,” comments Collard. “They exploit the platform’s features, like Groups and Marketplace, to post fake job listings and approach potential victims.”

When you are hunting for a job, how can you stay safe? Here are three clear indicators that the job posting or recruitment drive could be a scam.

Unsolicited offers and unprofessional communication

“Beware of unsolicited job offers, especially if you didn’t apply for them,” advises Collard. Legitimate employers follow a formal recruitment process and will not haphazardly reach out on social media.

Another red flag is unprofessional communication. Spelling errors, poor grammar, an international phone number on WhatsApp, or an email address from Gmail or Yahoo should make you take a step back.

Remote work that pays well

Another warning bell is that the job offer is “fully remote,” and offers very attractive remuneration. “Often this is a sign that it’s a scam,” cautions Collard, “as criminals know that most people want to work from home. Also, if the salary sounds astronomical for the particular position, be wary.” Rather, research what the salary range of similar positions is before you respond to tempting job offers. “It’s also better to verify the job offer is real by contacting the company directly,” she says.

Requests for payment or your info

However, the most significant warning sign is when they ask for payment for application fees, training courses, or background checks. As per the Employment Services Act, no one can charge jobseekers for employment services. “If you are asked to pay anything for your recruitment, it is a clear scam,” Collard emphasises.

Similarly, legitimate employers will not ask for your sensitive personal information, such as your ID number or bank account details, until a very advanced stage of the recruitment process. “This information is usually only requested after a job offer has been extended,” explains Collard.

To ensure your safety during your job search, it is important to take precautions. Trust your instincts and be cautious. As Collard advises, “Pay attention to warning signs such as unsolicited job offers, requests to download links, and demands for payment or personal information.” By maintaining a healthy level of scepticism and taking proactive steps to verify the legitimacy of job offers and recruiters, you can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to these scams. And remember, anything that sounds or looks too good to be true, most likely isn’t.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of KnowBe4.