Unpredictable and powerful: Esterhuizen’s hybrid threat boosts Boks against Wallabies

Springbok supporters must wait until Saturday afternoon to see if centre André Esterhuizen will reprise his role as a hybrid player against the Wallabies in the opening Rugby Championship Test.

Esterhuizen was coy about giving anything away ahead of the duel as the world champions look to maintain their unbeaten run in the 2025 season against the Australians.

He will partner with outside centre Jesse Kriel at Ellis Park in what should be an exciting midfield combination next to scrumhalf Grant Williams and flyhalf Manie Libbok.

They will have the task to set the outside backs, wingers Kurt-Lee Arendse and Edwill van der Merwe, and fullback Aphelele Fassi in space on the attack.

“I can’t disclose that,” Esterhuizen said when asked about his hybrid role.

“We will have to wait and see. However, we are looking forward to an exciting game. It has been building up for the last two weeks. Not the first Test, but if you look at how the Wallabies played against the Lions, they improved. They were physical in those games, and that is the battle we expect.

“Any time a team plays South Africa, the first thing they focus on is to meet us with physicality. But we are well-prepared for that. The last two weeks, we have grafted in camp and everyone put in the hours. The bodies felt it.”

According to Esterhuizen, it has been a lot easier this week as they prepared for the Test with their legs not feeling the hard work as they did during the camp.

The Boks acknowledged that they had to increase their physicality, as evident in the last three Tests against Georgia, and that is what they have worked on.

As a group, the Springboks felt they were not at the desired level after those matches, and they needed to pick up their fitness and physicality.

On the development of his game and getting more playing minutes, Esterhuizen said the rotation policy at the Boks allowed him to take the pressure off and focus on his game when called upon.

“The last two years were quite nice with the coaching staff doing rotation and playing different games with different players. I received more opportunities. Back in the day, when you got a chance, you had to use it, and then you put pressure on yourself.

“Now, it is different. The pressure is off. We don’t play as a team but as a squad and everyone is used from weekend to weekend. You know you will get a chance again, even if there is an off game.

“We are going into the competition with the same mindset. It is a good carrot (winning back-to-back titles), but we will take it game for game. You can’t look that far ahead. Six tough games wait. Our focus will be on Australia and the two matches.

“If we play how we know we can and (with) what we should be able to deliver, we might be able to defend our title.”