Rassie Erasmus said the decision to overhaul the Springbok lineup to face Australia on Saturday is in line with building momentum as well as trying to expand the squad.

Salmaan Moerat will captain a new-look Bok 23 that includes starting debuts for Morne van den Berg and Ruan Nortje in the Rugby Championship clash against the Wallabies in Perth. Regular captain Siya Kolisi is rested, while an experienced bench features eight World Cup winners.

“We made it clear from the outset this season that one of our main goals is to build squad depth with an eye on the next World Cup here in Australia, and we feel there is no better way to test some of the younger players and assess where we are as a group against a top-Tier nation, especially away from home, in this match,” said Erasmus.

“We have a group of about 45 players that are part of our wider squad this season and we’ve seen what most of these players can do. We have full faith in the younger generation of players coming through, and we feel this is the right time to Test them against an Australian outfit that will be desperate to bounce back strongly from last weekend.”

Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Thomas du Toit will pack down either side of Johan Grobbelaar in the starting  front row after lining up against Portugal in Bloemfontein last month.

Five other players who were members of that emphatic victory also join them in Van den Berg, Aphelele Fassi, Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi and Manie Libbok, with the latter starting on the replacements bench showing a traditional 5-3 split.

TEAM: Moerat leads Boks in Perth

“All of the younger players made a strong impression against Portugal and in the other Tests in which they received an opportunity to showcase their skills, and we believe that their hunger to play, combined with their individual skills will be a fantastic driving force for them to build on the result in Brisbane,” Erasmus added.

The rotation also allows time to regenerate for a handful of players who have been regulars in the team this season, with another four Tests left in the Rugby Championship after this weekend – two against New Zealand in Johannesburg and Cape Town, one against Argentina in Santiago and the closing match of the tournament against Los Pumas in Nelspruit.

“We have a big squad, and it’s important to balance some players’ workload while at the same time bringing a few young players into the mix, and this squad allows us to do both,” said Erasmus.

“This also means that every player in this travelling squad will have an opportunity to play. All of the players who have been excluded from the squad have been regulars this season and we feel we’ll benefit in different ways by resting them this week.”

Erasmus expected a massive onslaught from the Wallabies on Saturday: “They will be desperate to come back strongly from last week’s defeat and I have no doubt that Joe Schmidt (Australian head coach) will select a team that is fired up and who will give everything to turn things around and get their campaign back on track.

“They are a proud nation and they’ll be highly motivated to continue their impressive home win record against us in Australia, so we’re fully aware of the challenge.

“But we’re also determined to continue building on the changes we’ve made since the end of the 2022 season (in which the Boks have only suffered three defeats in 20 matches) and we have a determined and enthusiastic group of players who also have a lot to play for.

“This is a massive match for us because if we can build on last week, it will give us a good chance to be in the mix for the title which we last won in 2019.”

Photo: Charle Lombard/Gallo Images

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