Marco Jansen states Proteas team must match Australia's intensity in upcoming series

Due to a calf muscle injury that ruled him out of the main rugby rivalry, Springboks star Handre Pollard will be looking to earn playing time in Sunday's match against Australia in Perth.

The Springboks squad may make changes this week as Rassie Erasmus needs to manage his team's load ahead of the one-off Southern Hemisphere clash with Australia, concluding a demanding mid-season test match run.

Since Damian de Allende and Pieter-Steph du Toit will not feature in the test match at Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday (kick-off at 11:45 SA time) to rest after four tough matches against the All Blacks, the altered lineup could inject new life into the Boks.

However, they are also wary of making too many changes, recalling what happened in the Ellis Park match during the main rugby rivalry. The team, which saw numerous changes compared to the one that played Argentina last week, entered the debut rivalry match with limited cohesion. This significantly impacted their performance, resulting in a 33-16 loss. Nevertheless, they managed to fight back and secure a 3-1 series win against New Zealand.

This momentum of consecutive wins will be vital against the Australians, but it could also be affected if the core players are absent. This is a fine balance that head coach Rassie Erasmus and his management must strike.

Dilemma of choosing between Pollard and Lubbock

This is an ideal opportunity to give inexperienced players a chance against a top-tier team and boost their capitalization ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. However, this match is also a chance for those who qualify for the tournament to gain first experience playing in Australia next year.

A player like Morne van der Merwe showed against New Zealand that he needs more starting matches at number 9. Meanwhile, Handre Pollard and Mani Lubbock have not started in the main rugby rivalry on the wing-forward position. Pollard was battling a calf muscle injury but should be fit. Lubbock changed the pace of the game as an impact substitute.

With de Allende's absence, a void opens up, allowing Erasmus to place Pollard at inside centre alongside Lubbock or Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Arriving in Terrigal after an exhausting four-match series against New Zealand, Rassie Erasmus called the match against Australia in Perth a crucial step towards defending the Rugby World Cup title in 13 months.

Hanekom's opportunity

In Du Toit's case, there is a vacancy at flanker, creating another puzzle. Versatile forward Cameron Hanekom could fill this role, even though his contribution from the bench was noticeable, especially in the last two matches. The physical impact he made gave the Boks extra energy in Soweto and Baltimore.

If Pollard moves to the midfield, it frees up Erasmus to keep hybrid Andre Esterhuizen on the bench to influence the second half both in the forwards and the backline.

One thing is clear: Erasmus has numerous options when selecting the squad this week. But the most important thing is achieving cohesion in the 23-man squad on match day.

If the Springboks manage this, the Wallabies will have a long evening in Perth.

Graham Smith comments on the upcoming series of matches between Australia and South Africa, emphasizing the intensity of the rivalry and the approaching test matches starting on October 9th in Durban.

As the South African team rests after an epic four-match series against the All Blacks, the question arises: is the rivalry between the Proteas and Australia the greatest in cricket? It very well could be, as Australia prepares to visit South Africa at the end of this month for three ODI matches and three Test matches.

Previously, the Proteas defeated Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final last June, and now the Australian team aims for revenge on South African soil. Although the ODI matches start on September 24th, the main focus will be on the Test series, which begins on October 9th. Both series will take place in Durban.

Smith anticipates an exciting series between Australia and South Africa with high stakes and rich history. In an exclusive interview with IOL, Smith noted that there are many storylines between the two nations over many years. He recalled the times when the great Australian team dominated but added that South African cricket has significantly improved recently, including winning in Australia three or four times, as well as the WTC final victory achieved by the Temba [Bavuma] team.

This will be Australia's first visit to South Africa since the controversial Sandpapergate incident. Nevertheless, Smith believes that confrontations between these two countries are always sharp. He thinks the series promises to be grand—always competitive, with interesting narratives, and featuring top-class players. For him, it would be wonderful to play a Test series in South Africa involving Australia and England so that fans can actively support the game and watch competitive cricket.

Vaibhav Suryawanshi's batting has amazed the world, as he demonstrated incredible success against bowlers in T20 cricket at a very young age, leading to inflated expectations. Now that he steps onto the field, spectators expect not just good play, but explosive moments.

However, this is where another chapter of the story begins. Players who aim to hit every ball for a four or a six eventually encounter a situation where bowlers begin to use that same haste against them. An example of such risk was Vaibhav's elimination in the Dalip Trophy final in Chennai after a delivery by Vijay Tripura, which served as a warning about this danger.

With a score of 8 runs off 16 balls, while Vaibhav tried to send the ball outside the boundary, he himself fell into a trap due to his haste. Vijay nudged the ball slightly back, and Vaibhav stepped out of his defensive zone, intending to send the ball over the boundary. But this time, the ball bypassed not the bat, but the batsman's mind.

The ball spun in the air, Vaibhav missed, and Jagdishan bowled him out. This moment should prompt Vaibhav to pause and ask himself questions. What he sent far yesterday, the same player read today.

This dismissal is particularly interesting because he was facing the same Tripura Vijay, who had previously conceded three fours and one six from Vaibhav in his debut IPL match. At that time, Vaibhav managed to read Vijay. This time, Vijay read Vaibhav. In cricket, victory is not always achieved with words; sometimes one ball is enough.

Perhaps an image of the previous confrontation remained in Vaibhav's mind. Perhaps he thought Vijay would again be an easy target, so he stepped out of his defensive zone to reach the ball. But in Red Ball Cricket format, the bowler shows you not only the ball but also illusions. Vijay did the same: he allowed Vaibhav to come closer and then stopped the ball in the air in such a way that the batsman's entire mathematics was disrupted. Last time, Vaibhav taught the bowler a lesson; this time, the bowler taught Vaibhav a lesson.

T20 helped Vaibhav gain fame due to his fearless style of play, which is his main asset. However, first-class cricket tests this fearlessness. Here, it is not necessary to hit every ball. Sometimes the best shot is simply not hitting the ball. Sometimes the right play is not scoring runs for ten balls. It is also important to show the bowler that the batsman will not fall into his trap.

Vaibhav needs to learn this. He is not lacking in shots, power, or confidence. He needs to learn when 'not to hit'. This is what distinguishes an explosive batsman from a great batsman.