Erasmus makes wholesale changes for Boks second test against Australia

By Ayanda Nyuswa

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has made ten changes to the starting line up that will face Australia in the second Rugby Championship test on Saturday in Perth. Lock Salmaan Moerat will captain the Springboks for the second time in this international season, in place of regular captain Siya Kolisi who has been rotated from the squad that beat the Wallabies 33-7 last weekend. Scrum half Morne van den Berg and lock Ruan Nortje will earn their first starts in Springbok jerseys, as the team also sees the return of players like Johan Grobbelaar (Hooker), Thomas du Toit (Prop), Makazole Mapimpi (Wing), Lukhanyo Am (Centre) and Aphelele Fassie (Full-back). 

Utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been given the nod to start at Fly half for the second consecutive weekend after impressing in his first start in Brisbane. He will be supported by both Handre Pollard and Manie Libbok, who returns to the squad, as the Boks technical team opted for a 5/3 split among the forwards and the backs on the bench.

Starting team:

15 – Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) 
14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) 
13 – Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) 
12 – Lukhanyo Am (Hollywoodbets Sharks) 
11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) 
10 – Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) 

8 – Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) 
9 – Morne van den Berg (Emirates Lions)

7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) 
6 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) 
5 – Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) 
4 – Salmaan Moerat (captain, DHL Stormers) 
3 – Thomas du Toit (Bath) 
2 – Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls) 
1 – Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) 

Replacements:

16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) 
17 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) 
18 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) 
19 – Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) 
20 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) 
21 – Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) 
22 – Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers) 
23 – Handré Pollard (Leicester Tigers) 

Picture: SA Rugby