Rassie Erasmus has sprung a major surprise by handing André Esterhuizen the Springboks captaincy for Sunday’s clash with Australia.
The powerful centre will lead South Africa for the first time when they face the Wallabies at Optus Stadium in Perth.
Esterhuizen, 32, becomes the 68th player to captain the Springboks, with regular skipper Siya Kolisi among a host of established stars missing from the starting XV.
It comes as Erasmus makes a staggering 13 changes to the side that defeated the All Blacks 43-28 in Baltimore.
Only Eben Etzebeth and Ethan Hooker retain their starting places following South Africa’s series-clinching victory over New Zealand. You can revisit how every Bok performed in Baltimore in our Springboks player ratings from the fourth Test.
Erasmus explains captaincy call
Esterhuizen has become an increasingly valuable member of Erasmus’ squad due to his ability to cover both the midfield and back-row.
The 2023 Rugby World Cup winner has played both centre and flanker for South Africa, while his leadership credentials have also been strengthened by his experience captaining the Sharks. His official Springboks player profile describes his versatility as a major asset to the national side.
Erasmus believes that contribution has earned Esterhuizen his opportunity.
“He’s captained the Sharks, and he has brought so much to our squad off and on the field, both at centre and in the loose trio,” Erasmus said.
“He thoroughly deserves this opportunity.”
The Springbok boss also explained that the decision gives South Africa another leader as they continue building towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Esterhuizen starts at inside centre and will partner Canan Moodie in midfield.
Pollard returns
There is another major boost for South Africa with Handré Pollard returning at fly-half.
The double World Cup winner missed the recent series against the All Blacks through injury but is back in the No.10 shirt for Perth.
Herschel Jantjies partners him at scrum-half and makes his first Test start since November 2021.
Aphelele Fassi starts at full-back, with Edwill van der Merwe and Hooker completing the back three.
Up front, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Zachary Porthen start either side of hooker Johan Grobbelaar.
Etzebeth will extend his record as South Africa’s most-capped player to 147 Tests, partnering the returning Franco Mostert in the second row.
Paul de Villiers, Elrigh Louw and Marco van Staden form a completely changed back-row.
Two Springbok stars already stood down
The mass rotation is not entirely unexpected.
Erasmus had already confirmed that Pieter-Steph du Toit and Damian de Allende had been released from the squadfollowing their heavy workloads against New Zealand.
The experienced pair have returned home to spend time with their families rather than travelling through to the Wallabies Test.
RUCK reported the decision over the weekend after Erasmus confirmed Du Toit and De Allende had been stood down with immediate effect.
South Africa arrived in Australia following a demanding four-match series against the All Blacks, with Erasmus keen to manage his squad before the Nations Championship resumes later in the year.
The Springboks confirmed after arriving in Australia that the Wallabies would present a very different challenge following their historic series against New Zealand.
Wiese reaches 50
There is also a landmark waiting for Jasper Wiese.
The former Leicester Tigers favourite is set to win his 50th Springbok cap after being named among the replacements.
Erasmus has moved away from some of his more eye-catching bench combinations and selected a conventional 5-3 split.
Malcolm Marx, Ox Nché and Wilco Louw provide considerable front-row power from the bench, while Lood de Jager and Wiese complete the forward replacements.
Morné van den Berg, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Quan Horn provide the backline cover.
Springboks team to face Australia
15. Aphelele Fassi14. Edwill van der Merwe13. Canan Moodie12. André Esterhuizen (c)11. Ethan Hooker10. Handré Pollard9. Herschel Jantjies8. Marco van Staden7. Elrigh Louw6. Paul de Villiers5. Franco Mostert4. Eben Etzebeth3. Zachary Porthen2. Johan Grobbelaar1. Jan-Hendrik Wessels
Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Ox Nché, Wilco Louw, Lood de Jager, Jasper Wiese, Morné van den Berg, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Quan Horn.
Springboks arrive on a high
South Africa head into the fixture after completing a memorable 3-1 series victory over the All Blacks.
Erasmus’ men recovered from losing the opening Test before winning three straight, finishing the series with that 43-28 victory in Baltimore.
The official Springboks match report described it as a convincing victory as South Africa secured the inaugural Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry title.
RUCK also looked back at the contest in detail, including Karl Dickson’s controversial refereeing performance.
Australia, though, present a very different test.
“Australia poses a completely different threat to New Zealand in the way they play, so we believe these combinations would be best suited for the challenge that we will face against them,” Erasmus said.
The Wallabies have won four of their last five matches, with their other result a draw against Argentina, meaning Erasmus is expecting another serious examination despite making sweeping changes.
When is Australia vs South Africa?
The Wallabies host the Springboks at Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday, 27 September.
Kick-off is scheduled for 5pm local time, 10am BST.
It will be South Africa’s final Test before a break ahead of their Nations Championship fixtures in November, and another opportunity for Erasmus to test the remarkable depth at his disposal.
