mens
international
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus made 13 changes to the victorious starting side All black people in Baltimore earlier this month and Andre Esterhuizen was named captain for the first time against the Wallabies in Perth.
Erasmus made massive changes to the side that secured a 3-1 series win in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, with Eben Etzebeth and Ethan Hooker retaining their places in an otherwise new-look competitive one-off Test squad.
Hooker is kept on one wing, with Edwill van der Merwe and Aphelele Fassi rounding out the back three. Esterhuizen will become 68th The Springboks captain, linking up with Canan Moodie’s backline service in the centres.
Herschel Jantjies was selected at half-time, while Handre Pollard started at half-time. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will provide cover from the bench, with more than 330 Test caps between substitutes.
Jan-Hendrik Wessels will pack up front along with the whore Johan Grobbelaar and the tough prop Zachary Porthean. 146-Test veteran ben Etzebeth will combine with Franco Mostert in an experienced second-row combination.
Paul de Villiers earned a start at blind flank and Elrigh Louw was given the run at open flank. Marco van Staden rounds out the back row, while Jasper Wiese is in line for his 50thth Test the layout from the bench.
“We’ve been working closely with our head of athletics performance Andy Edwards on how best to manage the players to get the most out of them in this important encounter, so we’ve had a few days off for the players’ bodies to recover from the last few tests and also the travel, so we’ve had two days of training in Terrigal and continued our normal test week programme,” Eras Tuesmus said.
“This will be a big challenge against a side that play good rugby and have won four of their last five matches, their other result being a draw against Cougars in Argentina.
“They also suffered a narrow defeat Ireland in Nations Championship and recorded a comprehensive victory over Italy, and they will be playing in front of their home crowd, so we know it’s a big game ahead.
“They are a proud nation and will certainly want to build on the momentum going into their next two clashes against the All Blacks and the return leg of the Nations Championship in November, so they will throw everything at us. That said, they have physical forwards and a very exciting back line, so it will take another big game from us to get a result.”
The Springboks will take on the Wallabies in Perth
- Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 14 games, 10 points (2t)
- Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls) – 10 games, 0 points
- Zachary Porthen (DHL Stormers) – 7 games, 5 points (1t)
- Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 146 games, 45 points (9t)
- Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 84 appearances, 20 points (4t)
- Paul de Villiers (DHL Stormers) – 4 games, 5 points (1t)
- Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 15 games, 10 points (2t)
- Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 37 games, 20 points (4t)
- Herschel Jantjies (Bayonne) – 25 games, 30 points (6t)
- Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls) – 87 games, 832 points (8t, 130c, 175p, 5dg)
- Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 13 games, 10 points (2t)
- Andre Esterhuizen (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 35 games, 30 points (6t)
- Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 25 games, 45 points (9t)
- Edwill van der Merwe (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 7 games, 30 points (6t)
- Aphelele Fassi (Toshiba) – 18 appearances, 35 points (7t)
Substitutions
16. Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 93 games, 145 points (29t)
17. Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 52 games, 0 points
18. Wilco Louw (DHL Stormers) – 35 games, 10 points (2t)
19. Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 77 games, 25 points (5t)
20. Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 49 games, 20 points (4t)
21. Morne van den Berg (10bet Lions) – 10 games, 32 points (6t, 1c)
22. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 24 games, 191 points (9t, 48c, 15p)
23. Quan Horn (10Bet Lions) – 2 games, 7 points (1t, 1c)
