Springboks' shake-up: 10 changes ahead of Rugby Championship match against Wallabies

Coach Rassie Erasmus has wielded the axe for their second Rugby Championship match against the Wallabies, welcoming back experienced campaigners for the crunch clash in Cape Town.

Following the injuries to seasoned campaigners such as captain Siya Kolisi and flank Pieter-Steph du Toit, as well poor performances by some players in the 38-22 defeat against the Australians at Ellis Park, Erasmus has made 10 changes to the starting line-up for this weekend's clash

Experienced backs Cheslin Kolbe and Damian de Allende have recovered from injury and will come straight into the starting team, while Bok centurion Willie le Roux has been picked in the No 15 jersey ahead of Damian Willemse and Aphelele Fassi, who featured in Johannesburg.

Only five players in the starting-15 retained their places from the team’s that was humbled in Johannesburg last week, while a total of 13 players were involved in the encounter at Ellis Park return for the Cape Town clash.

The five players who will start against Australia for the second week in a row are prop Ox Nche, hooker Malcolm Marx, flank Marco van Staden, scrumhalf Grant Williams and outside centre Jesse Kriel, who takes over the captaincy from the injured Kolisi.

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 after Erasmus decided to go with a 6-2 bench split. 

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.

Du Preez will make his first start in the Bok jersey since the match against the Barbarians. It's a massive match for the No 8 to make a statement after Kolisi ran out in that jersey last Saturday.

The backline, in turn, sees the experienced duo of Kriel and De Allende reunite in the midfield for the 38th time, while Williams and Handre Pollard will partner up at halfback

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.

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 said they have been working hard to fix the wrongs from last weekend after conceding 38 unanswered points against the Wallabies, who won at Ellis Park for the first time since 1963.

“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 the top teams in the world, especially as we continue to build our squad depth,” Erasmus said.

“We are pleased with this squad, and we are all aligned on what we have to do to lift our standards this week.”

Springbok team to face the Wallabies in Cape Town:

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.