Salmaan Moerat will captain an overhauled Springbok team that includes starting debuts for Morne van den Berg and Ruan Nortje in the Rugby Championship clash against the Wallabies in Perth.

Moerat, who first captained the Springboks in the July Test against Portugal in Bloemfontein, once again assumes the responsibility in a team featuring 10 changes from the tournament-opening win in Brisbane.

Regular captain Siya Kolisi is rested, while an experienced bench features eight World Cup winners.

Marco van Staden (loose forward) is promoted from the bench to take Kolisi’s No 6 jersey, while the only players retaining starting places are Cheslin Kolbe (wing), Jesse Kriel (centre), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (flyhalf), Elrigh Louw (No 8) and Pieter-Steph du Toit, who moves from lock to flanker).

Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Thomas du Toit (both props) and Johan Grobbelaar (hooker) are back in the starting team as the front row after lining up against Portugal last month.

Five other players who were members of that emphatic 64-21 victory also join them in Van den Berg, Aphelele Fassi (fullback), Lukhanyo Am (inside centre), Makazole Mapimpi (wing) and Manie Libbok (flyhalf), with the latter starting on the replacements bench showing a traditional split of five forwards and three backs.

Rassie Erasmus opted to rest Kolisi (flanker), Frans Malherbe, Gerhard Steenekamp (both props), Bongi Mbonambi (hooker), Cobus Reinach (scrumhalf), Kurt-Lee Arendse (wing), Damian de Allende (centre) and Willie le Roux (fullback).

Ben-Jason Dixon, who started at flanker last week, meanwhile is nursing a niggle, which has placed him on the rehabilitation list along with RG Snyman, who has been ruled out of contention for selection as he continues to manage the foot niggle that saw Erasmus being forced to make late changes his match-23 last week.

Nortje has recovered from the knee issue that ruled him out of the Brisbane match and returns to the Bok matchday team for the first time since making his Test debut off the bench against Wales in Bloemfontein in 2022.

Erasmus named a robust replacements’ bench filled with World Cup-winners in Malcolm Marx (hooker), Ox Nche, Vincent Koch (both props), Eben Etzebeth (lock), Kwagga Smith (loose forward), Grant Williams (scrumhalf), Libbok and Handre Pollard (flyhalf).

Springboks – 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Lukhanyo Am, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Salmaan Moerat (c), 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Subs: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Handre Pollard.

Photo: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images

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