Rassie Erasmus has never been shy to roll the dice, and this week he’s practically emptied the deck. For Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash against the Wallabies in Cape Town, the Springbok coach named a side with 10 changes to the starting XV, a bold reshuffle after last week’s bruising 38-22 defeat at Ellis Park.
Jesse Kriel wears the captain’s armband once again, deputising for the crocked Siya Kolisi, while Ox Nche graduates to vice-captain, a milestone in a career that began with a debut in Washington back in 2018.
“We lost four players to injury last weekend, which obviously had an impact,” Erasmus explained, “but we also know where we went wrong… so we made a few changes that we believe will offer us what we need.”
The Return of Familiar Firepower
There’s an air of déjà vu in the backline: Kriel links up with long-time partner Damian de Allende in the midfield for a record 38th Test together, while Cheslin Kolbe and Bok centurion Willie le Roux return to add stardust. Handré Pollard, just three points shy of the 800 mark in Test rugby, steers the ship at flyhalf alongside Grant Williams.
Up front, Thomas du Toit joins Nche and Malcolm Marx in a new-look front row, while RG Snyman and Ruan Nortje lock down the engine room. Marco van Staden, Franco Mostert and Jean-Luc du Preez make up a loose trio built less for finesse than for graft.
Bench Bristles with Experience
Erasmus has stacked his bench with six forwards and two backs. This is a nod to the trench warfare he expects. Eben Etzebeth, already the most-capped Bok of all time, waits in reserve alongside Lood de Jager and Kwagga Smith. In the backs, Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu provide the spark plugs.
“We are determined to get things right this week,” Erasmus said, his tone as sharp as a lineout call.
“Boan got a taste of what it’s like to face Australia last week, and Ruan did well against them last year. It will be good for a few others to experience one of the top teams in the world as we continue to build our depth.”
Stung but Still Swinging
Ellis Park’s collapse still stings, the kind of defeat that sits in the gut like a dropped ball on your own try line.
“We let ourselves and the country down,” Erasmus admitted, “so we have all the motivation we need to make things right this week.”
Australia’s first-ever professional-era win at Ellis Park gave them a spring in their step, but Erasmus is wary of reading too much into history. The Boks have beaten the Wallabies in seven of eight Tests in Cape Town since 1992, yet he insists past records don’t count for much. “We don’t believe in previous records… this match is going to be another proper grind.”
The Tactical Gamble
This is Erasmus at his most Rassie: ruthless in selection, pragmatic in explanation, and relentless in pursuit of standards. Injuries to Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kurt-Lee Arendse, and Edwill van der Merwe forced his hand, but the scale of change suggests more than necessity. It’s a calculated attempt to restore bite, balance experience with opportunity, and send a message: reputations alone don’t keep jerseys green.
The Wallabies may feel they’ve landed a psychological blow, but the Boks know their campaign needs traction, and Erasmus has made it clear Cape Town will be different
“It will be vital for us to give everything until the final whistle… This match is essential for us to get our campaign on track,” he warned.
For the Boks, Saturday is about setting the record straight and proving they can hit harder in the second half than they did at Ellis Park. Think of it as a scrum reset: same ball, new bind, and Erasmus barking, “Crouch, bind, set” with a growl that says there’s no margin left for error.
SPRINGBOKS – 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel (c), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Handré 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
Bench: 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
Photo Credit: Phando Jikelo
