Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus named a near full-strength side to face Italy at Allianz Stadium in Turin on Saturday.

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The Springboks rolled the dice against Australia the last time out, and it didn’t go too well and they lost in Perth.

That is one of the big reasons head coach Rassie Erasmus opted for an almost full-strength team for Saturday’s Nations Championship clash against Italy.

Erasmus rolled out his big guns for the battle at Allianz Stadium in Turin, looking to build winning momentum early, with two tough clashes against France and Ireland awaiting after the November opener.

The Boks did not include any of the uncapped players on tour with them, with Erasmus reverting to a 23-man squad boasting more than 1 000 caps between them. The starting XV alone has 835 Test caps. That shows how seriously Erasmus and his management view this battle, despite the Italians battling with a host of injuries to senior players, including centres Tommaso Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex.

Why Erasmus picked experience

“It’s a cup that everybody is competing for,” Erasmus said of the Nations Championship.

“We rolled the dice a little bit in that last game against Australia, and that didn’t go too well. But some guys got game time in Perth. However, now, you know, it’s three important games and, yes, the biggest competition is the World Cup next year. So, we are trying to build for it.

“But as a team you also want to try and be in the running for this Nations Championship cup when it comes to the play-offs or final round. So yes, we obviously are taking it seriously. We didn’t have a lot of training time like the other teams.

“We’ve been fortunate with about 10 to 12 Japanese-based players who’ve been here with some of the coaches since last weekend. We had our first training session on Monday afternoon, so everyone is now on the same page.”

According to Erasmus, it wasn’t a difficult decision to name a near full-strength team, and he believes they have the players to do well on Saturday. With the Boks facing France next Friday in Paris and a short turnaround waiting on them, they will be eager to build as much momentum as possible and allow the combinations to find each other again.

While questions may be raised over the next few days about why the Boks opted for a settled side, it’s clear that the world champions are targeting another trophy after winning Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry against the All Blacks.

“We are a year out from the World Cup and although one does want to experiment and try things, you also want to maintain momentum. I had a beer with Italy’s coach (Gonzalo Quesada) yesterday (Sunday) in London, and we all want to try combinations.

“But you also want the people to keep faith in you and the players to trust you.”