Springboks make 10 changes for Wallabies as Erasmus focuses on squad depth

Scrumhalf Morne van den Berg and lock Ruan Nortje will earn their first Test starts for the Boks, while Salmaan Moerat will captain the side in the absence of regular captain Siya Kolisi, who is one of nine players from Saturday's 33-7 victory in Brisbane rotated out of the squad.

The only players retaining starting places from last weekend are Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Elrigh Louw and Pieter-Steph du Toit.

The changes to the team were motivated by Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus' desire to continue finding the 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."

Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Thomas du Toit and Johan Grobbelaar are back in the starting team as the front row after lining up against Portugal in the historic Test in Bloemfontein last month.

Five other players who were members of that emphatic 64-21 victory also join them in Van den Berg, Aphelele Fassi, Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi and Manie Libbok, the latter starting on the bench which features a traditional five-three split.

"All of the younger players made a strong impression against Portugal and in the other Tests in which they received an opportunity to showcase their skills, and we believe that their hunger to play, combined with their individual skills will be a fantastic driving force for them to build on the result in Brisbane," Erasmus added.

"We have a big squad, and it's important to balance some players' workload while at the same time bringing a few young players into the mix, and this squad allows us to do both.

"This also means that every player in this travelling squad will have an opportunity to play. All of the players who have been excluded from the squad have been regulars this season and we feel we'll benefit in different ways by resting them this week."

Erasmus has opted to rest Kolisi, Frans Malherbe, Gerhard Steenekamp, Bongi Mbonambi, Cobus Reinach, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende and Willie le Roux.

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 of contention for selection as he continues to manage the foot niggle that saw Erasmus being forced to make late changes his match-23 last week.

Nortje has recovered from the knee issue that ruled him out of the Brisbane match and returns to the Bok matchday team for the first time since making his Test debut off the bench against Wales in Bloemfontein in 2022.

The Test will mark Moerat's second as the Springbok skipper after he became the 66th Springboks' captain against Portugal.

The bench is filled with Rugby World Cup-winners like Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth, Kwagga Smith, Grant Williams, Libbok and Handre Pollard.

"Australia 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," Erasmus added.

"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." 

South Africa: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.

‹Replacements:16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Handré Pollard.

READ MORE: Vermeulen: Boks determined not to get complacent after Brisbane triumph