Lock Salmaan Moerat will captain the Springboks against Australia in Perth. (David Rogers/Getty Images)
- Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has made 10 changes to his team for Saturday’s Test against Australia in Perth.
- Lock Salmaan Moerat takes the captain’s armband from Siya Kolisi, who is rested.
- The likes of Frans Malherbe, Gerhard Steenekamp, Bongi Mbonambi, Cobus Reinach, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende and Willie le Roux are also rested.
- For more news on the Springboks, visit our dedicated section.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has made wholesale changes to his team for Saturday’s Rugby Championship encounter against the Wallabies in Perth.
There are 10 changes to the starting team that thumped Australia 33-7 in Brisbane last weekend.
Lock Salmaan Moerat takes the captain’s armband from Siya Kolisi as Erasmus opts to test the depth in his squad. It will be the second time Moerat captains the Boks, having also done so in the 64-21 win over Portugal in Bloemfontein last month.
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Morne van den Berg (scrumhalf) and Ruan Nortje (lock) will earn their first Test starts, while Marco van Staden (loose forward) is promoted from the bench to take Kolisi’s No 6 jersey.
The only players retaining starting places are Cheslin Kolbe (winger), Jesse Kriel (centre), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (flyhalf), Elrigh Louw (No 8) and Pieter-Steph du Toit, who moves from lock to flanker.
Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Thomas du Toit (both props) and Johan Grobbelaar (hooker) are back in the starting team as the front row after lining up against Portugal.
Five other players who played against Portugal also join them in Van den Berg, Aphelele Fassi (fullback), Lukhanyo Am (inside centre), Makazole Mapimpi (wing) and Manie Libbok (flyhalf), with the latter starting on the bench showing a traditional split of five forwards and three backs.
The likes of Kolisi, Frans Malherbe, Gerhard Steenekamp (both props), Bongi Mbonambi (hooker), Cobus Reinach (scrumhalf), Kurt-Lee Arendse (wing), Damian de Allende (centre) and Willie le Roux (fullback) are all rested.
Ben-Jason Dixon, who started at flanker last week, meanwhile is nursing a niggle, which has placed him on the rehabilitation list along with RG Snyman, who has been ruled out as he continues to manage the foot niggle that saw him pull out shortly before last weekend’s Test.
Nortje has recovered from the knee issue that ruled him out of the Brisbane match and returns to the Bok match-day team for the first time since making his Test debut off the bench against Wales in Bloemfontein in 2022.
The Bok bench is a powerful one, with Rugby World Cup-winners Malcolm Marx (hooker), Ox Nche, Vincent Koch (both props), Eben Etzebeth (lock), Kwagga Smith (loose forward), Grant Williams (scrumhalf), Libbok and Handre Pollard (flyhalf) all featuring.
Springbok team:
15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Lukhanyo Am, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Salmaan Moerat (captain), 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels
Substitutes: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Handre Pollard
Erasmus said the changes were motivated by his desire to find a balance between building momentum and expanding squad depth.
“We made it clear from the outset this season that one of our main goals is to build squad depth with an eye on the next Rugby World Cup here in Australia, and we feel there is no better way to test some of the younger players and assess where we are as a group against a top-Tier nation, especially away from home, in this match,” said Erasmus.
“We have a group of about 45 players that are part of our wider squad this season and we’ve seen what most of these players can do. We have full faith in the younger generation of players coming through, and we feel this is the right time to Test them against an Australian outfit that will be desperate to bounce back strongly from last weekend.”
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Erasmus added that he expected the Wallabies to be reeling and eager to bounce back in the return fixture.
“They will be desperate to come back strongly from last week’s defeat and I have no doubt that Joe Schmidt (Australian head coach) will select a team that is fired up and who will give everything to turn things around and get their campaign back on track.
“They are a proud nation and they’ll be highly motivated to continue their impressive home win record against us in Australia, so we’re fully aware of the challenge.
“But we’re also determined to continue building on the changes we’ve made since the end of the 2022 season (in which the Boks have only suffered three defeats in 20 matches) and we have a determined and enthusiastic group of players who also have a lot to play for.
“This is a massive match for us because if we can build on last week, it will give us a good chance to be in the mix for the title which we last won in 2019,” Erasmus said.
Saturday’s Test kicks off at 11:45 (SA time).