With the regular skipper ruled out of the match, Marco van Staden takes over the No 6 jersey.
Centre Jesse Kriel will captain the Springboks in Saturday’s season-opening match against the Barbarians in Cape Town, with kick off at 5.10pm.
Kriel takes over the captaincy from regular skipper Siya Kolisi who has picked up a “niggle”, according to a Springboks press release.
The centre though will not become the Boks’ 67th Test captain as the match against the invitational side is not a Test match.
The two-time winning World Cup captain, Kolisi, was due to lead the Boks in their first match of the year.
With Kolisi ruled out of the match, Marco van Staden will wear the No 6 jersey and feature in a loose trio with Vincent Koch and Jean-Luc du Preez.
The rest of the squad is unchanged.
Kriel made his debut for the Boks in 2015 and has played 79 Tests so far, including winning the World Cup in 2019 and 2023. He also featured at the global showpieces in 2015 and 2019.
Boks team: Aphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel (capt), Damian de Allende, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Morne van den Berg, Jean-Luc du Preez, Vincent Tshituka, Marco van Staden, Lood de Jager, Jean Kleyn, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche. Bench: Marnus van der Merwe, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Neethling Fouche, Franco Mostert, Kwagga Smith, Cobus Reinach, Manie Libbok, Andre Esterhuizen
