Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus named a new-look team for their once-off Test against Australia in Perth on Saturday, which will mark significant occasions for Jasper Wiese as he earns his 50th Test cap off the replacements bench, while hybrid player Andre Esterhuizen will become the 68th player to captain South Africa.
Erasmus made 13 changes to his starting team, with only lock Eben Etzebeth and wing Ethan Hooker retaining their places in the run-on team from the side’s 43-28 victory against the All Blacks just over a week ago in Baltimore, which saw them clinch the inaugural Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry title.
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Fresh faces in the forward pack
According to the SA Rugby website, the changes see the introduction of a new front row in props Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Zachary Porthen, and hooker Johan Grobbelaar, while Etzebeth will join forces with Franco Mostert in the engine room, and Paul de Villiers, Elrigh Louw (both flankers), and Marco van Staden (No 8) will complete the forward pack.
The Bok coach also opted for a new halfback pairing of Herschel Jantjies and Handre Pollard, who has recovered from the niggle which saw him being sidelined during RGR, while Esterhuizen will partner up with Canan Moodie in the midfield, with Hooker, Edwill van der Merwe, and Aphelele Fassi forming the back three.
Experience on the bench
In total nine of the players in Erasmus’ match-23 participated in the final Test against the All Blacks in the USA. The trio of Malcolm Marx (hooker), Ox Nche, and Wilco Louw (both props) will serve as the back-up front row, while Lood de Jager will again provide lock cover, and Wiese loose forward cover.
The three backs on the replacements bench are Morne van den Berg (scrumhalf), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Quan Horn (both utility backs).
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“Each player in this squad has been working hard at training over the last few months and have had a chance to play in either the first leg of the Nations Championship or RGR, or both, while guys like Handre and Canan have recovered from injury, and they are all quality players, so we are pleased to give them a run and we are excited to see this team in action,” said Erasmus.
“Australia poses a completely different threat to New Zealand in the way they play, so we believe these combinations would be best suited for the challenge that we will face against them.”
Esterhuizen honoured with captaincy
Erasmus was also pleased to see Esterhuizen lead the Springboks for the first time: “He captained the Hollywoodbets Sharks, and he has brought so much to our squad off and on the field, both at centre and in the loose trio, and he thoroughly deserves this opportunity.
“It will also help build our leadership core even more within the team with several players having captained the side over the last few seasons, and we trust that he is the right man to take over the captaincy in this match.”
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Of the decision to release Pieter-Steph du Toit and Damian de Allende from camp, Erasmus said: “They had a heavy workload in the last few months, and they deserve a break, but at the same time we decided from the outset that if everything went according to plan, we would rest them for this match, so it made sense to send them home to spend time with their families.”
Springbok team: Aphelele Fassi, Edwill van der Merwe, Canan Moodie, Andre Esterhuizen (captain), Ethan Hooker, Handre Pollard, Herschel Jantjies, Marco van Staden, Elrigh Louw, Paul de Villiers, Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth, Zachary Porthen, Johan Grobbelaar, Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche, Wilco Louw, Lood de Jager, Jasper Wiese, Morne van den Berg, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Quan Horn.
- South Africa's Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus made 13 changes to the starting lineup for their Test against Australia in Perth, retaining only Eben Etzebeth and Ethan Hooker from the previous match.
- Jasper Wiese will earn his 50th Test cap off the replacements bench, and Andre Esterhuizen will captain South Africa for the first time, becoming the 68th player to do so.
- The new front row consists of props Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Zachary Porthen and hooker Johan Grobbelaar, with a new halfback pairing of Herschel Jantjies and Handre Pollard.
- Nine players from the previous Test against the All Blacks remain in the squad, including front row replacements Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche, and Wilco Louw.
- Pieter-Steph du Toit and Damian de Allende were rested and sent home to recuperate after a heavy workload in recent months.
