Meanwhile, Franco Mostert and RG Snyman return to the South African pack after injury lay-offs, with head coach Rassie Erasmus naming Eben Etzebeth as captain. Regular captain Siya Kolisi is named on the bench.
Smith, 31, debuted for the Springboks against Wales in Washington in 2018 and has since won two Rugby World Cup titles. He’ll start at No. 8 on the day of his half-century achievement.
Mostert returns after a broken leg sustained against Ireland in the summer, while Snyman has fully recovered from a foot injury that sidelined him ahead of South Africa’s successful 2024 Rugby Championship, but he has since been in domestic action with Leinster.
Erasmus has opted for a seven forwards, one back split on the bench, making 11 changes from the side that defeated Argentina in their last Rugby Championship game. Fourteen of the match-day squad were part of that victory over the Pumas.
Notably, 14 of the 23-man squad also featured in the Springboks' last clash with Scotland in the pool stage of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, including Mostert, Snyman, Etzebeth, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden, Jasper Wiese, Ox Nche, Grant Williams, and Willie le Roux.
Etzebeth, South Africa's most-capped player, extends his record to 129 Tests, and will captain his country for the 14th time in his career. Smith joins Elrigh Louw and Van Staden in the back-row.
The starting backline is entirely reshuffled from the recent Argentina match, with scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse the only player retaining his position. Fullback Willie le Roux is set to play his 98th Test, edging closer to the exclusive centurion club, while Makazole Mapimpi and Canan Moodie start on the wings. Andre Esterhuizen and Lukhanyo Am form a powerful midfield, while Handre Pollard joins Hendrikse in a promising halfback pairing.
The bench is packed with experience, with a total of 395 caps and 250 points between them. It features front row replacements Marx, Vincent Koch, and Gerhard Steenekamp, while Snyman, Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Jasper Wiese round out the forward replacements. Grant Williams provides cover as the sole backline substitute.
“This is a seasoned and quality team and adding to that 21 of the 23 players have won a Rugby World Cup title, with some having won two, so they know what it takes to perform at this level,” said Erasmus.
“Many of these combinations have also played together this season either during the Castle Lager Incoming Series and Rugby Championship, or both, which will be valuable against a quality team such as Scotland.
“We are expecting an extremely physical match, so we opted for a seven-one split of forwards on the bench, and this was aided by the fact that we have such versatile players in the backline, who can cover different positions if necessary.”
Commenting on Smith playing his 50th Test, Erasmus said: “Kwagga is a vastly talented player and a fantastic team member, and I’m delighted to see him reach this big career milestone. It takes a special player who performs consistently well over a few years to reach this achievement, and Kwagga has certainly done so while maintaining the same high standards at training and on the field. We are very proud of him.”
Erasmus forecasts another fierce battle with the Scots: “They are ranked seventh in the world and they’re a team that never stop fighting. They also have top quality players in their squad, we know it’s going to be an epic battle.
“In the Rugby World Cup last year, we were only three points up against them at halftime, and with the new dynamic they have brought to their game, we know it’s going to be an 80-minute battle.
“They’ll also have a passionate and vocal home crowd behind them, and we know what energy that brings to our team when we play at home, so that will boost them even more going into the match.”
Springbok team to face Scotland in Edinburgh:
15 – Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) – 97 caps
14 – Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 11 caps
13 – Lukhanyo Am (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 40 caps
12 – Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks) - 18 caps
11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 45 caps
10 – Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers) – 77 caps
9 – Jaden Hendrikse (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 18 caps
8 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 49 caps
7 – Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 10 caps
6 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 23 caps
5 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 76 caps
4 – Eben Etzebeth (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 128 caps
3 – Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 21 caps
2 – Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 75 caps
1 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 37 caps
Replacements:
16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 73 caps)
17 – Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 8 caps
18 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 58 caps
19 – RG Snyman (Leinster) – 37 caps
20 – Siya Kolisi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 89 caps
21 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 84 caps
22 – Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 31 caps
23 – Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 15 caps
