Rugby player André Esterhuizen to captain South Africa against Australia — Daily Maverick
Rugby player André Esterhuizen will lead the South Africa national team in a Test match as captain for the first time in the game against Australia in Perth. He will become the 68th Springboks captain in Test matches, Daily Maverick reports.
Esterhuizen became the ninth player to make his debut as captain during the tenure of head coach Rassie Erasmus, which began in 2018. Eben Etzebeth also captained the team under Erasmus, but first took on the role in 2017. Of the previous 10 national team captains, including Etzebeth, eight are still available for selection to the national team.
Rotation after matches against New Zealand
Only two players from the South Africa team that defeated New Zealand 43-28 in Baltimore remain in the starting lineup: Eben Etzebeth and left winger Ethan Hooker. Canaan Moodie will play in midfield alongside Esterhuizen, while fullback Aphelele Fassi and winger Edwill van der Merwe have also returned to the squad.
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Handré Pollard will start at fly-half for the first time since July after recovering from a calf muscle injury. Herschel Jantjies will make his first starting Test appearance since 2021. Franco Mostert returns to the squad after a season in which his international appearances were limited to a brief outing against the Barbarians in June.
Experienced bench
Erasmus explained the significant changes to the lineup by the desire to win while also expanding the squad’s depth ahead of the World Cup. He noted that some players had not had enough match practice for a long time, but are highly motivated.
South Africa’s bench will include Malcolm Marx, Ox Nché, Wilco Louw, Lood de Jager and Jasper Wiese. The match will be Wiese’s 50th Test for the Springboks. Erasmus also drew attention to the Australians’ form: they have won four of their last five matches and drew another against Argentina.
