Springboks hit by major setback before Cape Town showdown with Wallabies

The Springboks have suffered a significant blow ahead of the second Rugby Championship Test against Australia on Saturday in Cape Town.

Fullback Willie le Roux is out of the must-win clash at DHL Stadium (5.10 pm kick-off) after picking up an injury during training this week. He will be replaced by Aphelele Fassi, who started at No 15 in the first Test at Ellis Park last weekend.

Centurion Le Roux was brought in by head coach Rassie Erasmus as one of 10 changes to the starting lineup and was given until Friday to prove his fitness. Unfortunately, he had to withdraw due to the injury concern.

Le Roux recently became the eighth Bok to reach 100 caps, and his experience at the back, especially in the expected wet conditions, would have been a major asset to the world champions. Fassi had a strong first half in Johannesburg but, like many of his teammates, struggled to contain the Wallabies in the second half of the 38–22 loss.

The exciting fullback will look to deliver a stronger performance and will be particularly tested under the high ball by the Wallabies. He was drafted straight into the starting XV, with Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus opting to keep the versatile Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu on the bench as part of a six-two Bomb Squad split.

South Africa finds itself with its back against the wall for this crucial clash and will now have to engineer a turnaround without the experience of Le Roux. However, they still have enough World Cup winners in the squad, coupled with players hungry for some game time, to salvage their campaign and avoid a second consecutive loss on home soil against the Australians.

Join us over at THE CLUTCH

For the latest breaking sporting news and insights from our veteran sports journalists visit our YouTube channel The Clutch