Andre Esterhuizen captains the Springboks for the first time in Perth on Sunday, in a side with 13 changes from Baltimore, while Jasper Wiese’s 50th cap will come off the bench.
Andre Esterhuizen will become the 68th player to captain South Africa, with Rassie Erasmus naming a new-look side for the clash at Optus Stadium on Sunday, 27 September. Only lock Eben Etzebeth and wing Ethan Hooker retain their places from the 43-28 win over the All Blacks in Baltimore just over a week ago, a result that clinched the inaugural Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry title, with Optus Stadium hosting the new-look combination for the first time.
A new front row of props Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Zachary Porthen, and hooker Johan Grobbelaar starts, with Etzebeth partnering Franco Mostert in the second row. Paul de Villiers and Elrigh Louw complete the loose trio at flank, alongside Marco van Staden at No 8.
Erasmus has also gone with a new halfback pairing of Herschel Jantjies and Handre Pollard, who returns after recovering from the niggle that sidelined him during Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry. Andre Esterhuizen partners Canan Moodie in midfield, with Hooker, Edwill van der Merwe and Aphelele Fassi forming the back three.
Nine of the 23 involved in Perth featured in the final Test against the All Blacks in the USA. Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche and Wilco Louw provide front-row cover off the bench, Lood de Jager covers the locks, while the Jasper Wiese 50th cap milestone adds loose-forward depth off the bench. Morne van den Berg, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Quan Horn round out the bench as the three backs.
Erasmus explained the selection thinking behind the changes.
Rassie Erasmus, Springbok head coach
“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.”
Rassie Erasmus, Springbok head coach
“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 captains the Springboks for the first time at Test level, with Erasmus pointing to his leadership credentials at franchise level in explaining the decision.
Rassie Erasmus, Springbok head coach
“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.”
Pieter-Steph du Toit and Damian de Allende have been released from camp, with Erasmus citing their workload over recent months.
Rassie Erasmus, Springbok head coach
“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.”
Erasmus rates Australia as a genuine threat heading into Sunday, pointing to their recent form and management of the squad through a heavy travel schedule.
Rassie Erasmus, Springbok head coach
“We’ve been working closely with our Head of Athletic Performance Andy Edwards on how best to manage the players to get the most out of them in this important encounter, so we had a few days off for the players’ bodies to recover from the last few Tests and also from the travel, so we had two days of training in Terrigal and resumed our usual Test week programme on Tuesday.
“This is going to be a big challenge against a team that has been playing good rugby, and who have won four of their last five matches, with their other result being a draw against the Pumas in Argentina. They also suffered a narrow defeat against Ireland in the Nations Championship and registered a comprehensive victory over Italy, and they will be playing in front of their home crowd, so we know a big game lies ahead.
“They are a proud nation and will certainly want to continue building momentum going into their next two clashes against the All Blacks and the second leg of the Nations Championship in November, so they are going to throw everything at us. Adding to that, they have physical forwards and a very exciting backline, so it will take another big performance from us to get the result.”
Esterhuizen captains the Springboks in Perth
15 Aphelele Fassi (Toshiba) – 18 caps, 35 pts (7t)
14 Edwill van der Merwe (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 7 caps, 30 pts (6t)
13 Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 25 caps, 45 pts (9t)
12 Andre Esterhuizen (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 35 caps, 30 pts (6t)
11 Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 13 caps, 10 pts (2t)
10 Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls) – 87 caps, 832 pts (8t, 130 c, 175 p, 5dg)
9 Herschel Jantjies (Bayonne) – 25 caps, 30 pts (6t)
8 Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 37 caps, 20 pts (4t)
7 Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 15 caps, 10 pts (2t)
6 Paul de Villiers (DHL Stormers) – 4 caps, 5 pts (1t)
5 Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 84 caps, 20 pts (4t)
4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 146 caps, 45 pts (9t)
3 Zachary Porthen (DHL Stormers) – 7 caps, 5 pts (1t)
2 Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls) – 10 caps, 0 pts
1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 14 caps, 10 pts (2t)
Replacements:
16 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 93 caps, 145 pts (29t)
17 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 52 caps, 0 pts
18 Wilco Louw (DHL Stormers) – 35 caps, 10 pts (2t)
19 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 77 caps, 25 pts (5t)
20 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 49 caps, 20 pts (4t) — Jasper Wiese 50th cap
21 Morne van den Berg (10bet Lions) – 10 caps, 32 pts (6t, 1c)
22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 24 caps, 191 pts (9t, 48c, 15p)
23 Quan Horn (10Bet Lions) – 2 caps, 7 pts (1t, 1c)
Head-to-Head: Springboks vs Australia
Springboks vs Australia head-to-head sits at 54.6% in South Africa’s favour across 97 meetings, with 53 wins, 41 losses and 3 draws. The Springboks have scored 1 975 points to Australia’s 1 732, with 233 tries scored to 180 conceded. Their record score against the Wallabies is a 61-22 win in Pretoria in 1997, and their biggest winning margin is 45 points, a 53-8 result in Johannesburg in 2008. Springboks vs Australia resume at Optus Stadium this Sunday.
Kickoff for Springboks vs Australia is Sunday, 27 September, at 11h45 South African time at Optus Stadium, live on SuperSport.
