Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Elrigh Louw will make their first Test starts for South Africa against the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday, as the Springboks largely reverted to the squad that shared a two-test series with Ireland in July for the kick-off of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship at the Suncorp Stadium.
The match-23 featured only three changes from the group that faced the Irish, with the only new players being Louw (No. 8), two-time Rugby World Cup-winning scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, and replacement utility forward Ben-Jason Dixon.
The 22-year-old Feinberg-Mngomezulu is elevated to start at flyhalf after four appearances off the bench this season (coming on at either flyhalf or fullback), while Louw starts at No. 8 after four replacement appearances since his debut at the start of the 2022 season.
Six players retained
Only six players are retained in the squad from the 64-21 win over Portugal at the end of July: Louw, Reinach, Dixon, Feinberg-Mngomezulu, RG Snyman (lock), and Kurt-Lee Arendse (wing).
The new halfback combination sees Reinach continue in the No. 9 jumper in place of Faf de Klerk, who is nursing a niggle, while experienced flyhalf Handre Pollard provides cover off the replacements’ bench, along with Grant Williams, who serves as back-up at scrumhalf and wing, in a six-two split in favour of the forwards.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus, who said that Snyman had picked up a niggle at training on Tuesday and will be monitored for the rest of the week, again named a powerful bomb squad with a front row of Malcolm Marx (hooker), Gerhard Steenekamp, and Vincent Koch (both props), alongside Dixon, Marco van Staden, and Kwagga Smith.
Erasmus was delighted to hand first starts to Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Louw.
Impressive goal-kicking
He said: “Sacha has made a notable impact off the bench in all four Tests he has played so far, and he’s slotted into the system with ease, so we are excited to see what dynamic he adds to the team as a starter.
“His goal-kicking has also been impressive, and we know that against teams like Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina, the margins are very small, so every point will count.
“We’re also keen to see what Elrigh brings to the game, given his consistently strong performances for the Vodacom Bulls in the last few seasons and off the bench against Portugal.
“With Pieter-Steph (du Toit) and Siya (Kolisi) alongside him, he will have good guidance to play to his strengths and do what he does best.” – sarugby.co.za.
Springbok team to face Australia in Brisbane:
15: Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls)
14: Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath)
13: Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles)
12: Damian de Allende (Wild Knights)
11: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls)
10: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers)
9: Cobus Reinach (Montpellier)
8: Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls)
7: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz)
6: Siya Kolisi (captain, Racing 92)
5: RG Snyman (Leinster)
4: Eben Etzebeth (Hollywood Bets Sharks)
3: Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers)
2: Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
1: Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
Replacements:
16: Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears)
17: Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls)
18: Vincent Koch (Hollywood Bets Sharks)
19: Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers)
20. Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls)
21: Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs)
22. Grant Williams (Hollywood Bets Sharks)
23: Handré Pollard (Leicester Tigers)
