South Africa will give rookie No.10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu a first Test start in an otherwise stacked team to face Australia at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
The 22-year-old and No.8 Elrigh Louw will make their first Test starts for South Africa as the Springboks largely stuck to the squad that split the Test series with Ireland 1-1.
The match 23 features only three changes from the squad that played Ireland with the only new players being Louw scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, and replacement utility forward Ben-Jason Dixon.
Joe Schmidt will name the Wallabies team on Thursday.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu has played four Tests off the bench at flyhalf or fullback. Handre Pollard is on the bench. Louw has also had four replacement appearances since his debut at the start of the 2022 season.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu of South Africa gestures after the Summer Rugby International match between South Africa and Wales at Twickenham Stadium on June 22, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
A new halfback combination sees Reinach continue in the No 9 jumper in place of the Faf de Klerk, who is nursing an injury. Grant Williams will serves as back-up at scrumhalf and wing, in a 6-2 bench split.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus flagged a possible change due to a niggle suffered by RG Snyman at training on Tuesday.
Erasmus named a powerful bomb squad with a front row of Malcolm Marx (hooker), Gerhard Steenekamp and Vincent Koch (both props), alongside Dixon, Marco van Staden and Kwagga Smith.
“Sacha has made a notable impact off the bench in all four Tests he has played so far, and he’s slotted into the system with ease, so we are excited to see what dynamic he adds to the team as a starter,” Erasmus said of his rookie No.10, who is likely to line up opposite Ben Donaldson.
“His goal-kicking has also been impressive, and we know that against teams like Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina the margins are very small, so every point will count.
“We’re also keen to see what Elrigh brings to the game, given his consistently strong performances for the Bulls in the last few seasons and off the bench against Portugal.
“With Pieter-Steph (du Toit) and Siya (Kolisi) alongside him, he’ll have good guidance to play to his strengths and do what he does best.”
Erasmus said the changes were part of a broader Springbok selection plan: “One of the big talking points for us as a team from the beginning of the season was that we need to get the balance right between selecting teams featuring youth and experience as we build toward towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
“We’re pleased with the way we’ve been able to integrate some of the young players into the squad this season and give them game time against top opposition.
“We rested several players against Portugal to ensure that we had a fresh squad for the Rugby Championship, while a few young players really grabbed the opportunity to show what they can do in the first four Tests of the season.
“We’re excited to see what they have to offer against a team such as Australia which plays a vastly different style of rugby to that which we faced against Wales, Ireland and Portugal.
“Sacha and Ben-Jason showed proper class when they earned their chance to play this season and we are looking forward to seeing them in action against the Wallabies.”
Erasmus is expecting a tough challenge from the Australians.
“We only face the Southern Hemisphere teams in the Rugby Championship now, so we know they’ll pose a completely different challenge to the sides we’ve faced to date,” said Erasmus.
“They are also playing on their home turf where they have a good track record against us in the last few years, so we know it’s going to be a massive challenge.
“The fact that they are facing the world champions at home and knowing full well that they are hosting the 2027 World Cup will also inspire them, while we also have no doubt that they are desperate to climb the world rankings.
“They are a well-coached team with good playmakers, so they’ll definitely be charged up for Saturday’s match-up.
“We have a challenging campaign with two away games against Australia and then two Tests against New Zealand at home before making a short trip to Santiago where we will face Argentina, and then we wrap up the tournament against Los Pumas in Nelspruit, so it will be vital for us to start well and build good momentum.”
Erasmus reflected on the Springboks poor record where they’ve lost the last four and haven’t won since 2013.
“This is a new year and new campaign, and a lot has changed for both teams in the last few years, so while we are mindful of that statistic, it won’t affect how we approach this match or next week’s encounter in Perth,” said Erasmus.
“Just as winning the Rugby World Cup is history now, so is that statistic, so as a team we want to go out there and give our best, and if we stick to our structures and capitalise on our chances, hopefully we’ll work ourselves into a good position to get the desired result.”
Springbok team to face Australia in Brisbane:
15 – Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) – 95 caps, 75 pts (15t)
14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) – 33 caps, 96 points (15t, 3c, 5p)
13 – Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 71 caps, 80 points (16t)
12 – Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 81 caps, 55 points (11t)
11 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 18 caps, 75 points (15t)
10 – Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 4 caps, 17 points (7c, 1p)
9 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 33 caps, 65 pts (13t)
8 – Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 4 caps, 0 points
7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 79 caps, 40 points (8t)
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Racing 92) – 85 caps, 50 points (10t)
5 – RG Snyman (Leinster) – 37 caps, 10 points (2t)
4 – Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 122 caps, 30 points (6t)
3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 72 caps, 5 points (1t)
2 – Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 71 caps, 70 points (14t)
1 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 31 caps, 0 pts
Replacements:
16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 67 caps, 85 points (17t)
17 – Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 3 caps, 0 points
18 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 52 caps, 0 points
19 – Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers) – 2 caps, 5 points (1t)
20 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 20 caps, 0 pts
21 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 43 caps, 35 pts (7t)
22 – Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 11 caps, 10 points (2t)
23 – Handré Pollard (Leicester Tigers) – 71 caps, 732 points (7t, 98c, 162p, 5dg)