Rassie Erasmus supports Andre Esterhuizen as Springboks captain against Australia

Springboks' versatile player Andre Esterhoizen will lead the South African team against Australia on Sunday. Head coach Rassie Erasmus aims to expand his group of leaders ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Rassie Erasmus believes that due to Andre Esterhoizen's versatility, experience, and leadership qualities, he is the ideal candidate for the captaincy of South Africa in the upcoming friendly match in Perth. Esterhoizen will be the 68th player to represent the Springboks.

In the match against the Wallabies, Erasmus made 13 changes to the starting lineup after a series of four matches against the All Blacks.

The 32-year-old athlete captains the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and Champions Cup tournaments, establishing himself as one of the most multi-functional players in the World Cup squad. He has been used in the positions of centre forward, loose forward, and as a hybrid substitute player.

For Erasmus, handing over the captaincy to Esterhoizen is also part of a broader plan to develop the team's leadership structure before the 2027 World Cup. Alongside captains Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, and other veterans such as Handre Pollard and Jesse Kriel, the Boks will ensure a strong core of leaders.

Reasons for Erasmus's choice of Esterhoizen

Erasmus explained during the press conference announcing the squad on Tuesday that the issue was not about choosing a captain, but rather how to bring together senior players so that everyone has a unified voice.

He noted that a player like Eben always brings the same positive atmosphere, wisdom, and calmness to the team, regardless of whether he is the captain. He also emphasized that Andre always knows what he is doing when he is on the field. Although Jesse Kriel is not currently playing, he was previously a captain, and Siya also held this position. Thus, the team is working on forming its leadership circle.

Erasmus added that Andre captained the Sharks and was the player who always took on any task, whether playing as a hybrid player or playing alongside Damian de Allende and Damian Willemse, sometimes playing a lot, and then agreeing to play as a forward and an influential player. The coach wants to see him in this situation against a strong Australian team.

In Erasmus's opinion, it is not only an honor for Esterhoizen to receive the captaincy but will also help the team in the future, approaching the World Cup, by having more players who understand what it means to lead the Springboks.

Erasmus also pointed out Esterhoizen's leadership qualities during his time at the Sharks, especially when the Durban franchise was going through difficult times. Despite a tough season in the URC and Champions Cup, under Esterhoizen's leadership as captain and head coach JP Pietersen, they showed strong performances.

Springboks made 13 changes

Considering the 13 changes to the starting lineup, the coach understands that the new team may need time to find its rhythm. Since many players had limited game time in the international season, the Boks will have to establish cohesion after Erasmus largely maintained previous combinations during the 'Great Rugby Rivalry' series.

Handre Pollard and Herschel Jantjies will form a new pairing in the playmaker and scrum-half positions. Furthermore, the Boks will field a young combination in the front row: hooker Johan Grobbelaar, tighthead prop Zacharie Potten, and loosehead Jan-Hendrik Vessels. Kanan Moody will also get the opportunity to play at outside centre, while Edwill van der Merwe will take his place on the wing.

Erasmus noted that the previous strategy of constantly using the same team against the All Blacks allowed them to gain momentum. However, he questioned how the team would learn about the potential of new players by the end of the year for the World Cup or the next World Cup if they continued this way.

He recalled the game in Argentina where many of these players participated, and it was a disjointed and uncoordinated performance. In his opinion, they will not start the game with maximum effort, but he is confident that they are highly motivated and want to play, as they have been in a state of rest for a long time. He also noted that since some players had game experience, he hopes the start will not be too difficult, and that Australia has not played for 300 minutes in the last three weeks.

Springboks squad against Australia

Starting lineup:

The starting XV includes: 15 Apelele FASSI, 14 Edwill van der MERWE, 13 Kanan MOODY, 12 Andre ESTERHOIZEN (captain), 11 Ethan HOOKER, 10 Handre POLLARD, 9 Herschel JANTJIES, 8 Marco van Staden, 7 Elrig Louw, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Zacharie POTTEN, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik VESSELS. Reserves: 16 Malcolm Marks, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Vilko Louw, 19 Lud de Jager, 20 Jasper Wise, 21 Morne van den Berg, 22 Sasha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Kwan Horn.

The Springboks team is forced to wait to celebrate their victory in the 'Greatest Rugby Rivalry' tournament before their fans, as they still have to play a match against the Wallabies in Perth before they can return to South Africa.

After a convincing 43-28 victory over the All Blacks in Baltimore on Saturday, the world champions will not return home immediately after completing the memorable 3-1 series.

Instead, the Springboks will travel directly from the United States to Australia, where they are scheduled to face the Wallabies in Perth on Sunday, September 27th, with the match starting at 5:45 AM South African time.

This means that Rasmus Erasmus's team will spend the next couple of weeks in Perth, preparing for another important test match. Furthermore, this could be an ideal opportunity for the management to scout for the 2027 Rugby World Cup ahead of defending the title in Australia.

For the Boks, the immediate priority is now maintaining winning momentum against Australia, rather than celebrating the success against their main rival.

The four-match 'Greatest Rugby Rivalry' series presented Springboks and All Blacks with another exciting chapter in their rich history. South Africa lost the first match at Ellis Park stadium but then won at DHL Stadium in Cape Town and FNB Stadium in Soweto, securing an undeniable 2-1 advantage in front of nearly 90,000 fans.

Subsequently, the team traveled to Baltimore, where they achieved one of the most impressive attacking victories of the year, defeating New Zealand 43-28 and winning their debut four-match series 3-1.

Although three of the four matches were played in front of passionate home crowds in Johannesburg and Cape Town, these fans will now face a wait before they can celebrate the latest acquisition by the Springboks, which was secured in front of more than 68,000 people at M&T Bank Stadium.

Rassie Erasmus gave a strong hint that the Springboks will change their tactics against the All Blacks by adopting a more positive and attacking mindset in the fourth and final match of the series, which will take place in Baltimore.

At the start of the series, the Springboks set out to suppress the creativity of the All Blacks through a physical style of play. However, the strategy based on the 'route-one' approach was effectively frozen and disastrously backfired in the first match at Ellis Park, where the All Blacks secured a convincing victory with a score of 33-16, scoring five tries.

In Cape Town, the Springboks demonstrated a more positive game, scoring three tries in the 33-26 match, and in Soweto last week, they advanced even further, scoring four tries in an exciting 29-24 game.

Now, Erasmus suggested that in Baltimore, the team will strive for victory through attacking play. He noted that he always believed the series would be decided in the third and fourth matches, and that the team would become stronger as it progressed through the tournament. He emphasized that the most important thing is to score more points than the opponent, regardless of how those points are scored.

Erasmus made it clear that against the All Blacks, simply trying to stop their attack is extremely dangerous. He stated: 'I think one of the biggest mistakes you can make against the All Blacks is just trying to defend.' He added that ultimately, it is necessary to surpass the opponent in terms of points, citing the example of Jonny de Beer at the 1999 World Cup against England, where one needed to score more points even if the opponent scored four tries, while realizing five drop goals.

He also mentioned that containing New Zealand is very difficult, referencing the experience of the franchises and France at the Nations Cup in July. Although the Springboks are traditionally strong in goal-line attacks, in the third match they also showed a greater willingness to move the ball into wider areas of the field.

Erasmus reported that assistant coach Tony Brown worked hard after the loss at Ellis Park on expanding the Springboks' attacking arsenal. He noted that the team aims to utilize various opportunities, not just scoring tries via the maul or scrum. He also highly praised the play of Damian (de Allende), Jesse (Kriel), and Ethan (Hooker), noting that the backline is improving.