Siya Kolisi will make his 100th appearance for South Africa when the Springboks face France at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday, with Rassie Erasmus making six changes to the side that beat Japan last week.

The match also marks Erasmus’s 50th Test in charge.

Kolisi becomes only the ninth Springbok to reach a century of Test caps, a milestone that caps a career spanning two World Cup titles and a British & Irish Lions series win. Erasmus said the team would celebrate the achievement after the match, calling it: “a huge milestone for Siya” but stressing that the focus remained firmly on performance.

Loosehead prop Boan Venter replaces the injured Ox Nche, while Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Damian Willemse all return to the starting XV. RG Snyman drops to the bench, with Kwagga Smith missing out due to a niggle. The loose trio of Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Jasper Wiese reunites for the first time since the 2022 loss to France in Marseille.

Erasmus made two backline changes, shifting Willemse to fullback and moving CheslinKolbe to the wing alongside Kurt-Lee Arendse. The experienced centre pairing of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel start again, while Cobus Reinach partners Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at halfback.

Erasmus said rotation remained part of the tour plan but that this lineup was: “best suited to what we expect from France.” He warned the Boks must be: “accurate in everything we do” to withstand a fired-up French side seeking revenge for their World Cup quarter-final loss in 2023.

The other South Africans to have played 100 Tests for the Springboks are Eben Etzebeth, Victor Matfield, Bryan Habana, Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira, John Smit, Jean de Villiers, Percy Montgomery, and Willie le Roux.

Kickoff is at 22:10 South African time.