Esterhuizen leads Boks for first time as Rassie changes up his team

Andre Esterhuizen will become the 68th Springbok captain when he leads a much changed side against Australia in the one-off test match at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday.

The regular Sharks captain has played most of his rugby off the side of the scrum as a replacement during this international season but on the occasion of his first taste of the captaincy coach Rassie Erasmus has selected him to line up in his regular position of inside centre.

His switch to the No 12 jersey for Damian de Allende, who has returned home to be with his family, is one of 13 changes to the side that won 43-28 in the decisive fourth Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry test against the All Blacks in Baltimore 11 days ago.  

Esterhuizen will line up alongside Canan Moodie, who is back from injury and has been at outside centre in some of the biggest Bok wins in recent years, such as the 35-7 win over the All Blacks in London in the buildup to the 2023 Rugby World Cup and also the 43-10 triumph over the same opponents in Wellington last September.

ONLY HOOKER AND EBEN REMAIN FROM BALTIMORE TEAM

Only wing Ethan Hooker and lock Eben Etzebeth have been retained from the side that started that game, with coach Rassie Erasmus electing to give game time to players who were not used much against the All Blacks and in so doing test his squad’s ceiling.

Paul de Villiers returns to the No 6 jersey he wore in the first RGR game and for most of the home leg of the Nations Championship that came before that, which is why regular skipper Siya Kolisi is not playing in Perth.

Although clearly a very different team to the one that ended the RGR series, it is still a strong combination, with perhaps the only question mark hovering over the lack of match day activity from many of the players over the past month or more.

For instance players like fullback Aphelele Fassi haven’t played since the Argentina game in Buenos Aires two weeks before the RGR series, while hooker Johan Grobbelaar’s last game was his role as replacement for the Bulls against the All Blacks in mid-August.

Apart from the captaincy appointee, another big talking point from the team selected to play in Perth is the choice of Marco van Staden, who is usually an openside flanker, at No 8. It does give the Boks a potent double-fetcher combination, which could be an indicator of a horses for courses selection policy against the Wallabies, who are usually good at scavenging for ball on the ground.

Franco Mostert comes in as Etzebeth’s starting lock partner, his first start or appearance in the green and gold since the non-test cap international against the Barbarians that started the international season in Gqeberha on 20 June.

STILL PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE AND POWER

There is certainly no lack of experience or power in the second row, with Lood de Jager, who along with Mostert and Etzebeth was one of the locks in the 2019 World Cup winning effort in Japan, backing up again from the bench.

The bench is an experienced one, with Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche and Wilco Louw making up a very formidable back up front row, while Jasper Wiese will earn his 50th cap for his country when he comes onto the field.

Morne van den Berg, so outstanding first as a replacement in the third RGR test in Soweto and then as a starter in Baltimore, is the reserve scrumhalf, with 2019 World Cup winner Herschel Jantjies being repaid for the form he has shown in training with a first start in the No 9 jersey this season.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will play off the bench in this game to allow Handre Pollard to get some much needed game time at flyhalf and probably as an inside centre later in the game when Feinberg-Mgnomezulu comes on. Quan Horn backs up fullback, wing and he was also of course used at flyhalf earlier in the season.

PAY OFF FOR HARD WORK, SAYS RASSIE

“Each player in this squad has been working hard at training over the last few months and they have had a chance to play in either the first leg of the Nations Championship or RGR, or both, while guys like Handre and Canan have recovered from injury,” said Erasmus.

“They are all quality players, so we are pleased to give them a run and are excited to see this team in action. Australia poses a completely different threat to New Zealand in the way they play, and we believe that these combinations are best suited for the challenge that we will face against them.”

Erasmus pointed out that Esterhuizen is no stranger to leadership as he has captained the Hollywoodbets Sharks.

“He has brought so much to our squad off and on the field, both at centre and in the loose trio, and thoroughly deserves this opportunity,” said the Bok coach.

“It will also help build our leadership core even more within the team with several players having captained the side over the past few seasons. And we trust he is the right man to lead the team in this match.”

Erasmus explained the decision to let De Allende and Pieter-Steph du Toit return home was based around the heavy workload both players have had over the past few months.

Springbok team: Aphelele Fassi, Edwill van der Merwe, Canan Moodie, Andre Esterhuizen (captain), Ethan Hooker, Handre Pollard, Herschel Jantjies, Marco van Staden, Elrigh Louw, Paul de Villiers, Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth, Zachary Porthen, Johan Grobbelaar, Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche, Wilco Louw, Lood de Jager, Jasper Wiese, Morne van den Berg, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Quan Horn.

A new captain and another 50-cap milestone for the #Springboks in Perth - more here: https://t.co/c7fGliUXQP 🫡#ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/lzXuDICifb
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 22, 2026