Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has named a team featuring 10 changes to the starting XV as injuries and tactical considerations brought about an alteration in thinking for this Saturday’s second Test against the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship.
Jesse Kriel leads the side for just the second time in a Test, while Cheslin Kolbe, Damian de Allende and Bok centurion Willie le Roux all return to the starting XV.
There is also a new captain for the Wallabies as loose forward Fraser McReight takes over from inspirational eighthman and skipper Harry Wilson after he picked up an injury last weekend. Rob Valetini steps in at No 8.
Corey Toole will make his debut on the wing, and a third change sees Tom Robertson start at loosehead prop, with veteran James Slipper ruled out under HIA protocols.
This Saturday’s match between the Springboks and Wallabies kicks off at 17:10 and will be refereed by New Zealander James Doleman.
HERE IS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SPRINGBOKS’ TEST AGAINST THE WALLABIES:
Springboks: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Jean-Luc du Preez, 7 Franco Mostert, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 RG Snyman,3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Lood de Jager, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph-Akuso Suaalii, 12 Len Iketau, 11 Corey Toole, 10 James O’Connor, 9 Nic White, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Billy Pollard, 1 Tom Robertson
Replacements: 16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Nick Champion de Crespigny, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Andrew Kellaway
Date: Saturday, August 23
Venue: Cape Town Stadium, Green Point
Kick-off: 17:10
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
TMO: Richard Kelly (Australia)
Facts and Stats
Head-to-head v Australia:
Played 96; Won 52; Lost 41; Drawn 3; Points for: 1 945, Points against: 1 710; Tries scored 230, Tries conceded 177; Highest score 61-22 (Pretoria, 1997); Biggest win 45 points (53-8, Johannesburg 2008). Win % 54.2%.
Miscellaneous
- Jesse Kriel will lead the Springboks for the second time in a Test after taking charge of the team against Italy in the Castle Lager Incoming Series in July.
- Ox Nche will serve as the Springbok vice-captain for the first time in his career, which began back in 2018.
- Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende will extend their record as the most-capped Springbok centre pairing in history, taking the field together for the 38th time this weekend.
- Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok of all time to 135 Test matches.
- Handre Pollard needs three points to reach 800 points in Tests for South Africa.
- Damian De Allende will move into 10th place on the list of most-capped Springboks, with 90 Tests. He is currently tied on 89 with Pieter-Steph du Toit and the late Joost van der Westhuizen.
- The match will mark the first time the teams meet in Cape Town since 2014 – the Boks won the match 28-10.
- The Boks have won seven of their last eight matches against the Wallabies in Cape Town since 1992 – a track record they will be determined to build on this weekend. Their only defeat against the Wallabies in Cape Town was in 1992, when the visitors won 26-3.
- The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up are
- There are 428 caps in the backline, with 318 caps amongst the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 329
- The average caps per player in the backline are 61, the forwards 40, while the players on the bench average 41.
WHAT IS YOUR SCORE PREDICTION?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211.
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
