Manie Libbok is a surprise starter at flyhalf in the strong Springbok squad coach Rassie Erasmus named for the side’s opening Castle Lager Rugby Championship match against Australia at Ellis Park on Saturday that also features a positional switch to No 8 for skipper Siya Kolisi.
Grant Williams will complete the halfback pairing in an exciting backline featuring a back-three of Aphelele Fassi and wings Kurt-Lee Arendse and Edwill van der Merwe. Jesse Kriel will join forces with Andre Esterhuizen in the midfield after Damian de Allende picked up a knock.
Kolisi will don the No 8 jersey for the first time in a Test, while Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager will control the engine room behind a front row featuring props Ox Nche and Wilco Louw, and hooker Malcolm Marx. Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok to 134 Test matches.
“We’ve been experimenting with player combinations during the Castle Lager Incoming Series and at our conditioning camp in the last two weeks, and we believe this team will allow us to play the type of rugby we want to play against Australia,” said Erasmus.
“The Wallabies will be determined to change their win record against us in the last three seasons, so they’ll come out guns blazing, and we are confident that the players we selected will be up for the challenge.
“All of the starters except for Edwill have faced them before, and we are confident that he is ready for this challenge.”
South Africa: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Siya Kolisi (captain), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit , 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Canan Moodie, 23 Damian Willemse.
