Erasmus unveils new-look Springbok Team for Cape Town test
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has named a radically reshuffled team for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship showdown against Australia at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium on Saturday.
With ten changes to the starting XV following last week’s 38-22 defeat at Ellis Park, Jesse Kriel will captain the Boks for the second time in his Test career. Prop Ox Nche, a fixture in the Bok front row since 2018, has been handed the vice-captaincy for the first time.
The squad sees the return of big-match players Cheslin Kolbe, Damian de Allende, and Willie le Roux—who last month became only the eighth Springbok to notch 100 caps.
Only five players retain their places from the Johannesburg clash—Kriel, Nche, Malcolm Marx, Marco van Staden, and Grant Williams. Four senior players, including Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit, were ruled out through injury, forcing Erasmus into bold selections.
“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,” Erasmus explained.
The ‘Bomb Squad Deluxe’
Erasmus has resurrected his famed ‘Bomb Squad’ tactic, fielding a 6–2 split on the bench, designed to unleash a fresh forward pack late in the match. RG Snyman, Ruan Nortje, Jean-Luc du Preez, and a fit-again Kolbe headline the new-look selection.
“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 … we are pleased with this squad, and we are all aligned on what we have to do to lift our standards this week,” Erasmus said.
On Mostert stepping in at flank, he added: “We’ve got a couple of options at No.7, but he [Mostert] has done it many times for us and he is probably one of the guys who is the fittest in the team.”
Motivation and Mindset
Erasmus admitted the team was still reeling from their Ellis Park defeat.
“We are still hurting from that result, and the coaches and players are extremely disappointed with the way we played last week. We know we didn’t play according to our standards in the second half, and we must rectify that. We let ourselves and the country down, so we have all the motivation we need to make things right this week.”
Despite history favouring the Boks in Cape Town—they’ve won seven of their last eight Tests against the Wallabies at the venue—Erasmus insisted records count for little.
“We don’t believe in previous records and Australia showed last week that it is insignificant, so we are under no illusions that this match is going to be another proper grind.”
Kick-off & broadcast
The match kicks off at 17h10 on Saturday at DHL Stadium, Cape Town, and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Springbok Team to Face Australia (Cape Town Test)
Starting XV:
15. Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) – 100 caps, 75 pts (15t)
14. Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 15 caps, 35 pts (7t)
13. Jesse Kriel (captain, Canon Eagles) – 81 caps, 95 pts (19t)
12. Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 89 caps, 55 pts (11t)
11. Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) – 41 caps, 111 pts (18t, 3c, 5p)
10. Handré Pollard (Vodacom Bulls) – 82 caps, 797 pts (7t, 116c, 168p, 5dg)
9. Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 20 caps, 25 pts (5t)
- Jean-Luc du Preez (Bordeaux Begles) – 14 caps, 10 pts (2t)
- Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 80 caps, 20 pts (4t)
- Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 28 caps, 15 pts (3t)
- Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 8 caps, 0 pts
- RG Snyman (Leinster) – 42 caps, 10 pts (2t)
- Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 25 caps, 5 pts (1t)
- Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 79 caps, 115 pts (23t)
- Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 42 caps, 0 pts
Replacements (Bench):
16. Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets) – 1 cap, 10 pts (2t)
17. Boan Venter (Edinburgh) – 2 caps, 5 pts (1t)
18. Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 19 caps, 0 pts
19. Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 134 caps, 35 pts (7t)
20. Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 68 caps, 25 pts (5t)
21. Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 54 caps, 45 pts (9t)
22. Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 41 caps, 70 pts (14t)
23. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 10 caps, 54 pts (15c, 8p)
Springbok fast facts – Cape Town test
- Handré Pollard needs just 3 points to reach the 800-point milestone in Tests.
- Eben Etzebeth extends his record as the most capped Springbok of all time (135 Tests).
- Damian de Allende plays his 90th Test, moving into the Top 10 most-capped Boks in history.
- Jesse Kriel & Damian de Allende continue as the most-capped centre pairing in Bok history (38th Test together).
- Ox Nche will serve as Springbok vice-captain for the first time since his debut in 2018.
- Willie le Roux adds to his centurion status after reaching 100 caps last month.
- First Bok–Wallabies Test in Cape Town since 2014 (SA won 28–10).
📌 Read the official squad announcement here via SA Rugby.
For updates, analysis and more on trending South African sports news, visit:
NOWinSA Sports || Stories Shaping South Africa Today
