Captain No. 68, and not the name anyone expected
Sixty-seven men had led the Springboks before Tuesday. Andre Esterhuizen is now the 68th, and Rassie Erasmus has once again gone somewhere nobody predicted, handing the 32-year-old centre the armband for Sunday’s Test against Australia at Optus Stadium in Perth.
It isn’t a shot in the dark. Esterhuizen was just named Sharks captain for the new season, and his hybrid role, which lets him drop into the back row when the bench runs thin, makes him one of the more unusual players in the squad. With Siya Kolisi unavailable, Erasmus chose to spread the leadership around instead of reaching for a familiar face.
“He has brought a huge amount to this squad, on and off the field, at centre and in the back row, and he fully deserves this opportunity,” the head coach said.
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Only two survivors from Baltimore
Remember the side that beat the All Blacks in Baltimore to close out Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry? Forget most of it. Eben Etzebeth and wing Ethan Hooker are the only two who keep their places, with seven changes in the pack and six in the backline.
Handre Pollard returns at fly-half after injury kept him out of the Cape Town Test. Inside him is Herschel Jantjies, whose last Springbok start came in November 2021. Nearly five years. Esterhuizen partners Canan Moodie in midfield, while Aphelele Fassi, Edwill van der Merwe and Hooker make up the back three.
Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar and Zachary Porthen form the front row. Franco Mostert is fit again and slots in next to Etzebeth at lock, and the back row reads Paul de Villiers, Elrigh Louw and Marco van Staden, who gets the No. 8 jersey.
A bench that would start for most nations
Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche and Wilco Louw all started against New Zealand. On Sunday they sit and wait. Jasper Wiese brings up his 50th cap off the bench, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is among the finishers, and Erasmus has gone back to a more conventional 5-3 split.
He isn’t treating this as a formality. The Wallabies are unbeaten in five, with four wins and a draw in Argentina, and Perth will be loud. Italian referee Andrea Piardi takes charge, with kick-off set for 5.30pm local time on Sunday (11.30am CEST).
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