Rassie swings axe for Aussie rematch
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus named a team featuring 10 changes to the starting XV for their Rugby Championship rematch against Australia in Cape Town on Saturday.
Centre Jesse Kriel is leading the side for the second time in a Test, with Cheslin Kolbe, Damian de Allende, and Bok centurion Willie le Roux all making their return to the starting line-up.
Prop Ox Nche will serve as Kriel’s vice-captain for the first time in his international career, which dates back to 2018 when he made his Springbok debut against Wales in Washington, DC.
Only five players in the starting-XV retained their places from the team’s 22-38 defeat against the Wallabies in Johannesburg last week, while a total of 13 players were involved in the encounter at Ellis Park.
The five players who will start against Australia for the second week in a row are Nche, Malcolm Marx, Marco van Staden, Grant Williams, and Kriel – who takes over the captaincy from the injured Siya Kolisi – while Franco Mostert, Canan Moodie, Wilco Louw, Boan Venter, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Kwagga Smith, and Cobus Reinach are the other players who will get another run against the visitors.
Four players were ruled out of contention for selection due to injury, namely Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Edwill van der Merwe.
The only change to Erasmus’ front row was the inclusion of prop Thomas du Toit, who will pack down alongside Nche and Marx, while the Bok coach named a new lock pairing of RG Snyman and Ruan Nortje. Van Staden, meanwhile, will form a loose trio with Franco Mostert and Jean-Luc du Preez.
The backline, in turn, sees the experienced duo of Kriel and Damian de Allende reunite in the midfield for the 38th time, while Grant Williams and Handre Pollard will partner up as the halfbacks.
Kolbe and Moodie will do duty at wing, with Le Roux, who became only the eighth player in SA rugby history to earn 100 Test caps against Georgia last month, completing the backline at fullback.
Erasmus named six forwards and two backs on the replacements bench, where Marnus van der Merwe, Venter, and Louw will serve as the impact front row, along with the experienced trio of Etzebeth, De Jager, and Smith.
The two backline players on the bench are the versatile Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
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Erasmus attributed the changes to injuries and strategic adjustments for the forthcoming challenge.
“We lost four players to injury last weekend, which obviously had an impact on a few of our selections, but we also know where we went wrong against Australia last week, so we made a few changes that we believe will offer us what we need for this game,” said Erasmus.
“Damian and Cheslin have also recovered from their injuries, and with their experience and knowledge of the Wallabies, it was a logical choice to recall them.”
Erasmus added: “We are determined to get things right this week. Boan got a taste of what it’s like to face Australia last week, and Ruan did well against them last year, while it will be good for a few other guys to experience playing against one of the top teams in the world, especially as we continue to build our squad depth.
“We are pleased with this squad, and we are all aligned on what we have to do to lift our standards this week.”
Erasmus expected another physical battle against the Wallabies: “There’s no doubt they’ll take a lot of confidence from their victory last week, and especially since that marked their first victory at Ellis Park against us in the professional era.
“We are still hurting from that result, and the coaches and players are extremely disappointed with the way we played last week.
“We know we didn’t play according to our standards in the second half, and we must rectify that.
“We let ourselves and the country down, so we have all the motivation we need to make things right this week.”
The Boks may have enjoyed success against the Wallabies in Cape Town since 1992, where the hosts have won seven out of the eight Tests between the sides, but Erasmus said history was insignificant.
“We don’t believe in previous records and Australia showed last week that it is insignificant, so we are under no illusions that this match is going to be another proper grind,” said Erasmus.
“They also showed that they can fight until the end, so it will be vital for us to give everything until the final whistle this weekend. This match is essential for us to get our campaign on track, and we all realise the importance of ensuring that we do not make the same mistakes as last week.”
South Africa: 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
Date: Saturday, August 23
Venue: Cape Town Stadium, Green Point
Kick-off: 17.10 (15.10 GMT; 01:10, AEST, Sunday, August 24)
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
TMO: Richard Kelly (New Zealand)
