Springboks' Siya Kolisi excited to see Ethan Hooker, Canan Moodie centre pairing against Italy

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi can’t wait to see the youthful centre pairing of Ethan Hooker and Canan Moodie in action against Italy on Saturday afternoon in Turin.

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus is giving 22-year-old Hooker his first shot at his preferred position of inside centre, while Moodie (23) has been recalled at 13, with Jesse Kriel taking a break.

Kolisi knows Hooker inside out from their time together at the Sharks, and he likes what he sees.

“I would back Ethan anywhere on the field,” Kolisi smiled. “He loves rugby. He is a big man. He is taller than me and maybe the same weight. He is not scared of the physical side of things, and I am really excited to see what he is going to do.

“Ethan and Canan, as a partnership, have so much potential. They are playing against two tough centres in Juan Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello, but I back them all day long.”

How the backline performs will depend on how well Kolisi and his forwards compete at the breakdown, an area of the game where Italy outplayed the Wallabies last week.

“They gave us a hard time at the breakdown when they toured South Africa earlier this year,” Kolisi warned. “It was hard for us to win that game in Pretoria. So we know how good they are, and we have done our homework. We have to make sure that we look after the breakdown properly.”

Kolisi said the quality of the Italy team has made motivating his side easy.

“We have looked back at the games we have played against them, and we understand how good they were. And they now have several star players back who did not tour South Africa. It is a better group, with a lot more of their Six Nations players.

“And on our side, there are a lot of guys who have not had a chance yet on tour, and now they have it.”

Kolisi added that there is the carrot of next week’s tour climax against Ireland in Dublin.

“We all want to play against Ireland, and this is our opportunity to show what we are capable of as a team. Everyone wants to put their hand up. We know how hard this game is going to be.

“The boys are keen. We have Handré (Pollard) back; he will be controlling and looking after the backs. Canan — when he takes leadership in the group, you can see him grow as a person and player.

“It is good to have Edwill (van der Merwe) back as well. Whenever he has had an opportunity, he has taken it with both hands. Kurt-Lee (Arendse) obviously came back last week and is keen to keep going.”

Kolisi agreed that his pack has to give that potentially lethal backline good ball.

“The forwards know what we need to do; we know we have to be good at the breakdowns and make sure we are up for it.”

Kolisi said it didn’t matter that there are several new combinations in the pack, notably in the front row.

“It is the work that we have done in the week that gives me confidence,” he said. “That is when we get to know each other on the training field. Coach Daan (Human) has been working us hard in the scrums, coach Deon (Davids) in the lineouts, and Duane (Vermeulen) in the aerial contesting.

“We have full-contact sessions with the forwards, and this is the best way to get to know each other. This is where we get our confidence that we will be ready for the game. We also do extra things after training to make sure everything is sorted out. The senior guys lead by example.”