Lassie Erasmus made nine changes to the Springboks 23 after they crushed Australia in the first of two matches.
Scrumhalf Morn van den Berg and lock Luan Nordje are set to make their first Test starts for the match at Optus Stadium. Australia are due to announce their squad on Thursday.
It could be a brave decision or a very confident one. The Boks swept the Wallabies 33-7 on Saturday afternoon. The Boks bench is full of World Cup winners and the bomb squad may be the best they’ve ever been.
Salman Morat captains the team, while regular captain Siya Kolisi is one of nine substitutes from the 23-man squad.
Pieter-Steph du Toit of the Springboks is tackled during the Rugby Championship match between the Australia Wallabies and the South Africa Springboks at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia, on August 10, 2024. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)
Marco van Staden (loose forward) was promoted from the bench and given Kolisi’s number 6 shirt, while the starting line-up included Sheslin Kolbe (wing), Jesse Kriel (centre), Sasha Feinberg-Mongomezulu (flyhalf), Elieg Low (number 8) and Peter-Stephen du Toitman, who moved to flanker.
The Boks said the changes came as Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus continued to seek a balance between building momentum and adding depth to the squad.
“We were clear from the start of the season that one of our key objectives was to build depth in the squad for the next Rugby World Cup in Australia and we felt there was no better way to test our young players and assess where we stand than in this fixture, particularly away from home, against a top-class nation,” Erasmus said in a statement.
“We’ve got a group of about 45 players in our squad this season and most of them have seen what they can do. We have full confidence in the younger generation to come through and we feel this is the right time to test them against an Australian team who will be desperate to build on last weekend’s strong performance.”
Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Thomas du Toit (both props) and Johan Grobbelaar (hooker) are back in the starting lineup after featuring against Portugal in the historic test match in Bloemfontein last month.
Five players who contributed to the 64-21 victory also joined Van den Berg, Apellele Passi (full-back), Lucanyo Arm (inside centre), Makazol Mapimpi (wing) and Mani Reebok (flyhalf), the latter of whom started off the bench in the 5-3 win.
“All of our young players have impressed in Portugal and other tests and they have had the chance to showcase their skills and we believe their desire to play, combined with their individual skills, will be a fantastic driving force to build on their results in Brisbane,” Erasmus said.
This rotation will allow some players to rest ahead of the Test matches against New Zealand and Argentina.
“We have a big squad and it’s important to balance the workload of some players while also bringing in some young players, and this squad allows us to do both,” Erasmus said.
“It also means every player in this travelling squad will have a chance to play. Every player left out of the squad has been a regular player this season and I think resting them this week will help in a number of ways.”
Erasmus decided to rest Kolisi (flank), Frans Malherbe, Gerhard Steenekamp (both props), Bongi Mbonambi (hooker), Cobus Reinach (scrum-half), Kurt-Lee Arendse (wing), Damian de Allende (centre) and Willie le Roux (hooker).
Ben-Jason Dixon, who started at flanker last week, is out with soreness and has been placed on the rehabilitation list along with RG Snyman, who is out of contention.
Norche missed the Brisbane game with a knee problem and will return to the Bouk match squad for the first time since coming on as a substitute on his Test debut against Wales in Bloemfontein in 2022.
This Test means Moerat will captain the Springbok for the second time after becoming their 66th captain.Day He captained the Springboks against Portugal.
Erasmus has named a strong bench of substitutes, featuring Rugby World Cup winners Malcolm Marks (hooker), Ox Antje, Vincent Koch (both props), Eben Etzebeth (lock), Quagga Smith (loose forward), Grant Williams (scrumhalf), Reebok and Handre Pollard (flyhalf).
A total of 14 players were retained for Brisbane’s Match 23, including Moerat, Van Staden, Pieter-Steph Du Toit, Louw, Kolbe, Kriel, Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Marx, Nche, Koch, Etzebeth, Smith, Williams and Pollard.
Erasmus said he expected a fierce attack from the Wallabies on Saturday: “They will be desperate to come back strongly from last week’s defeat and there is no doubt Joe Schmidt will select a team that is passionate and willing to give everything they have to turn things around and get the campaign back on the right track.
“They are a proud nation and will be very motivated to continue their impressive home record against us in Australia, so we are fully aware of the challenge.
South Africa manager Rassie Erasmus before the Qatar Airways Cup match at Twickenham Stadium in London. Photo date: Saturday, June 22, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images)
“But we are determined to continue building on that momentum after the 2022 season (the Boks have lost just three of their 20 games) and we have a team of determined and passionate players who will also be competing for a lot.
“This is a very important game for us. If we can improve on last week, it will be a good opportunity to compete for the title we last won in 2019.”
The Springbok team take on Australia in Perth:
15 – Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 5 games, 10 points (2t)
14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) – 34 games, 96 points (15t, 3c, 5p)
13 – Jesse Kriel (Cannon Eagles) – 72 games, 80 points (16t)
12 – Lukhanyo Am (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 36 games, 35 points (7 goals)
11 – Makazol Mafimppi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 43 games, 150 points (30 games)
10 – Sasha Feinberg-Mgmezulu (DHL Stormers) – 5 games, 25 points (11c, 1p)
9 – Morne van den Berg (Emirates Lions) – 1 game, O points
8 – Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 5 games, 0 points
7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 80 appearances, 45 points (9t)
6 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 21 games, 0 points
5 – Luan Nordje (Vodacom Bulls) – 1 cap, 0 points
4 – Salman Moerat (C, DHL Stormers) – 8 games, 0 points
3 – Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 19 games, 0 points
2 – Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls) – 1 game, 0 points
1 – Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 1 cap, 5 points (1t)
shift:
16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 68 games, 85 points (17t)
17 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 32 games, 0 points
18 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 53 games, 0 points
19 – Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 123 games, 30 points (6t)
20 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 44 games, 40 points (8t)
21 – Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 12 games, 10 points (2t)
22 – Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers) – 15 caps, 91 points (1t, 28c, 10p)
23 – Handré Pollard (Leicester Tigers) – 72 appearances, 732 points (7 goals, 98 assists, 162 goals scored, 5 goals conceded)
