The power of Rassie Erasmus & his world champion Springboks

The power of Rassie Erasmus & his world champions Springboks is in nearly 50 000 tickets sold for Saturday’s match against the famed Barbarians – and few know who will even make up the Barbarians match-day 23, writes Mark Keohane.

The Barbarians, the most appreciated ‘invite only’ club in world rugby, have done themselves the biggest disservice in playing the Springboks in Cape Town in a historic first-ever match between the two sides in South Africa.

The paying public power of the Springboks, back-to-back world champions, is that by Monday of the week of the Barbarians match, nearly 50 000 tickets were already sold. This was a credit to the Springboks. It had nothing to do with the Barbarians, who arrived in Cape Town in drips on Monday.

This is historic on Saturday – and the match-ups over time have proved worthy of Test status.

But the Barbarians lack of information would render it a rugby state secret.

How the hell do you sell a game to a country when no one knows your squad six days before the Test?

You rely on the status of the world champion Springboks – and you betray your own brand.

For the past month, there has been nothing about the Barbarians history-making trip to South Africa.

There has been the announcement of five players, split over three weeks. Then there was a social media video of Robbie Deans and Sam Whitelock arriving in Cape Town on Monday with a showing of a few players that included former All Blacks Hoskins Sotutu, Mark Tele’a and Mr Kerr-Barlow of All Black, Chiefs and now Clermont fame.

 

Landed 🛬

Cape Town 📍#Baabaas #QatarAirwaysCup 🏆 pic.twitter.com/0UMR9cgQ3M

— Barbarian FC (@Barbarian_FC) June 23, 2025

It really is a nonsense how little the Barbarians have promoted the match.

In most countries, they would play in front of a handful of people, given the lack of information.

In Cape Town and South Africa, 50 000 plus will watch them play the Springboks – and again it has nothing to do with them.

That is particularly sad, given the history of the Barbarians, the lure of the Barbarians – even in this professional age – and the fact that the Barbarians have done very little to promote themselves in this game.

SHOCKER!

How do you sell yourselves, when five days out, the city doesn’t even know who is in your squad.

Thank goodness for the Boks, for Rassie Erasmus and for the love of this squad in South Africa.

 

To celebrate their partnership with @MacronSports, the Keo & Zels show will be giving away a @Barbarian_FC jersey! pic.twitter.com/gcXS7gGNHF

— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) June 17, 2025

Cape Town Stadium will buzz on Saturday but it is all about the Springboks and has very little to do with Barbarians brand that five days out from the Test, have not even informed the public of of who is here.

SHOCKER!

That is how I ended the piece on Monday night.

Then BOOM! The Barbarians delivered. THANK YOU.

Here is the squad to play the Boks and, given the restriction on players with so many Test teams playing their first matches in the next fortnight, Robbie Deans has managed to put together some big name players, some veterans and two South African locks in Ruben van Heerden (Stormers) and David Ribbans (Toulon) and South African-born Blues hooker Ricky Riccitelli.

Ribbans, schooled in Western Province, represented England at the 2023 World Cup.

England does not select players outside of the English Gallagher Premiership and Ribbens, should he stay at Toulon until 2007, would become eligible for the Springboks in the 2027 World Cup.

All Blacks Leicester Fainga’anuku (Toulon) and winger Mark Tele’a, who will play in Japan next season, are ineligible for the All Blacks, as they also play their rugby outside of New Zealand. Both would make the All Blacks if based in New Zealand. Fainga’anuku is returning to New Zealand to challenge for a 2027 World Cup place.

Deans, a former Crusaders coach, All Blacks assistant coach and Wallabies coach, who is now based in Japan with the Wild Knights, has leaned heavily on Kiwis. There are 13 in the match-day 23.

Retired Munster and Ireland loose-forward Peter O’Mahony will captain the side in his final professional match and former All Blacks captain, another who now plays in Japan, retired from international rugby at the end of then 2024 season.

O’Mahony’s Irish national teammate for the past decade, Leinster prop Cian Healy, will also play his last game.

Munster and Ireland’s scrum half Connor Murray was originally announced as playing, but he was not confirmed as part of Tuesday’s 23.

Barbarians squad:
Prop: Cian Healy (Leinster), Hassane Kolingar (Racing 92), Will Collier (Castres), Paul Alo-Emile (Stade Francais)
Hooker: Camille Chat (Lyon), Ricky Riccitelli (Blues)
Lock: David Ribbans (Toulon), Ruben van Heerden (Stormers), Josh Beehre (Blues)
Loose forward: Hoskins Sotutu (Blues), Peter O’Mahony (Munster), Sam Cane (Tokyo Sungoliath), Shannon Frizell (Toshiba), Lachlan Boshier (Wild Knights)
Scrumhalf: Tawera Kerr Barlow (La Rochelle), Santiago Arata Perrone (Castres)
Flyhalf: Josh Jacomb (Chiefs)
Centre: Peter Umaga-Jensen (Hurricanes), Leicester Fainga’anuku (Toulon), Joe Marchant (Stade Francais)
Wing: Mark Tele’a (Blues), Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens (Highlanders)
Fullback: Melvyn Jaminet (Toulon)

The most celebrated Springboks Barbarians