South Africa makes 13 changes to its starting side for rugby test against Australia
South Africa's national rugby team has announced 13 changes to its starting lineup for an upcoming test match against Australia in Perth. Coach Rassie Erasmus cited the need for different tactical combinations to counter the Wallabies' unique playing style.
Why it matters
The massive rotation highlights the depth of the South African squad and the strategic approach to managing player workload during a competitive international season.
PERTH, Australia (AP) — South Africa has made wholesale changes — a total of 13 — to its starting lineup for Sunday's one-off rugby test against the Wallabies in Perth, Western Australia.
Only lock Eben Etzebeth and winger Ethan Hooker retained their starting roles from the team that beat the All Blacks 43-28 at Baltimore to seal a 3-1 series win in the inaugural Rugby's Greatest Rivalry.
Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok of all time to 147 test matches.
Props Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Zachary Porthen will join forces with hooker Johan Grobbelaar in a new-look front row, while two-time World Cup-winning flyhalf Handre Pollard returns from a calf injury to form a new halves pairing with fit-again scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies.
Centre Andre Esterhuizen has been named skipper, making him South Africa's 68th captain.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in