The Springboks embark on their Test season with 19 World Cup winners in their matchday 23 for Saturday's clash in Pretoria.
Morne van den Berg, Vincent Tshituka, Wilco Louw and Jan-Hendrik Wessels are the only players to not feature in the Springboks' World Cup wins either in 2019 or 2023, with a highly experienced South African side expected to do the job against the tourists at Loftus Versfeld.
However, that's not how Erasmus sees it. He will have made sure to warn his players against complacency by talking up the Italians, as he did in the media this week.
"Everyone expects us to beat Italy, but they were really competitive in the first two rounds of the 2025 Six Nations Championship," said Erasmus.
"Thereafter, they struggled with their player depth as they do not have such a large pool of players. They will be ready for us, though, and we dare not underestimate them."
His words were echoed by assistant coach Daan Human, who referred to the Azzurri as a "proper Test team".
"Unlike the Barbarians, who do not play regularly, Italy do, so we will be facing a proper Test team on Saturday," said Human.
"The one thing about the Springboks is that we do not underestimate any side, and we know that Italy are very focused on their forward play, so it will be a proper Test match."
Le Roux two away from Bok century
Among the experience that is offer to Erasmus and his coaching unit is that of Willie le Roux, who will win his 99th Test cap for the Springboks if he is called upon from the replacements bench.
Given Erasmus' reputation for emptying the bench in one fell swoop, it's unlikely Le Roux will be taking the field on his own in Pretoria, but it seems Erasmus has made it his mission to ensure Le Roux will become South Africa's eighth centurion in history at some point in July.
"We have three matches to get Willie to 100," Erasmus said this week.
"He is in the mix this week, and hopefully, he goes on (as a replacement off the bench) and gets to 99.
"Then, in one of the other two matches, we will bring him in again. That said, we must make sure we get momentum and the things we want to do, we do it on our terms."
Le Roux has been a mainstay in the Bok fold throughout Erasmus' tenure, but there is no question he is one of the most underappreciated Springboks of his time.
The full-back was the subject of social media mockery during the 2019 World Cup, when he drew criticism from South African fans for employing his boot with abandon, even though those were his instructions.
He was ridiculed for his poor handling in the latter stages of the tournament, only for it to be later revealed that he picked up an arm injury against Japan in the quarter-final which means he had no feeling at times. He played on, in spite of it all.
The changing of the guard
Le Roux has reached the twilight of his career, that much is known. The times are changing. The way in which Aphelele Fassi used grubber kicks to weave his wingers into the game against the Barbarians showed not only the influence of Le Roux, but also the fact that the baton is changing hands.
Damian Willemse is the man selected in the number 15 jersey this weekend, making his first appearance for his country since starting in the victory against New Zealand in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final. He is the likely contender to now take the reins for South Africa in backfield going forward, having started in each of the knockout games in that tournament success in France nearly two years ago.
The fact that there are two players capable of taking up the number 15 jersey, along with Quan Horn being in the mix, shows that the succession plan is still there in spite of how many stars are on show in Pretoria.
One of the things that Erasmus vowed to do when he took over as Springboks coach in 2018 was to develop depth and he has done that in spades.
Vincent Tshituka will make his Test debut on the flank this weekend, and even with a debutant in the team, the Springboks' tally of Test caps is nearing 1200 across the matchday 23.
With that amount of experience to draw upon, the likes of Tshituka and Horn will embark upon their international careers with plenty to learn about around them, only increasing the depth available to Erasmus as he goes in search of a third straight World Cup title in 2027.
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