The Rugby Championship finally returns to Johannesburg, and the stakes are as high as the altitude at Ellis Park. In the week the world champions confirmed bold selections and wrapped a pivotal camp in Joburg, the narrative for Saturday at 5.10pm writes itself, the champions are tinkering, the visitors are defiant, and the cauldron is ready. In a season that already feels rich with subplots, the headline is simple, Rugby Championship Opener Springboks vs Wallabies.
Rassie Erasmus set the tone by naming his team a day earlier than usual, a small but telling marker of clarity after three weeks of specific planning for Australia. Siya Kolisi will captain from No 8, Aphelele Fassi gets the nod at fullback, and Andre Esterhuizen starts at inside centre, selections that speak to both necessity and intent.
Kolisi at eight and the logic behind the gamble
With Jasper Wiese suspended for three matches following his red card against Italy, the Springboks entered the week without a specialist No 8 in camp. Erasmus explained that the choice to start Kolisi there followed a shift in thinking, a recognition that scrum involvement is a small slice of the total picture and that breakdown superiority is non negotiable against Australia.
“Siya at eight, we changed our mind there. The more we practiced and prepared, we realised that the only time he really plays at eight is when we are scrumming, which happens about 13 or 14 times a game,” said Erasmus, who added that placing Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden and Kolisi together targets Australia’s threat over the ball. The coach noted that Kwagga Smith will provide cover from the bench, while Kolisi’s role in general play remains that of a roaming force rather than a traditional eighthman.
Selection calls that shape the backline
Two calls at the back catch the eye. Fassi edges Damian Willemse to start at fullback, while Edwill van der Merwe is preferred to Cheslin Kolbe at wing, with Kolbe managing a minor injury. At flyhalf, Manie Libbok continues, and Esterhuizen steps in at 12 as Damian de Allende manages a back niggle, decisions that align with Erasmus’s theme of experimenting with combinations.
“We’ve been experimenting with player combinations during the Incoming Series and at our conditioning camp in the last two weeks, and we believe this team will allow us to play the type of rugby we want to play against Australia,” said Erasmus. The head coach added that the Wallabies will be determined to shift a poor recent record against the Boks, so the champions expect them to arrive with intent and energy at Ellis Park.
The loose trio debate and Warren Whiteley’s view
Warren Whiteley understands the balance of a back row as well as anyone in South African rugby. The former Springbok eighthman and current Sharks forwards coach believes the Boks do not need to chase a specialist No 8 while Wiese serves his ban, because the squad is stacked with versatile options who fit Erasmus’s game model.
“So I do not think we need an out and out number eight, we need the right combination of loose forwards, whatever that may be. In a loose forward combination players have different strengths, and those need to come together,” said Whiteley, pointing to Kolisi’s successful stints at eight for the Sharks and the proven adaptability of Smith, Marco van Staden, Cobus Wiese and Jean-Luc du Preez.
Whiteley’s reminder is timely, in this Bok system the job description for No 8 is specific to the team blueprint, not a template borrowed from another nation. That perspective helps explain why Erasmus prioritised a trio that can clean, steal and disrupt at pace against a Wallaby unit that will seek parity at the ruck.
Ellis Park history and an Australian challenge built on belief
Few venues in world rugby intimidate like Ellis Park, and history backs that aura. Australia have not won there since 1963, and the last visit in 2019 ended 35–17 to the home side. Yet the visitors arrive talking less about ghosts and more about growth.
Hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa, who has yet to play in South Africa, said the Wallabies respect the Springboks but will not put them on a pedestal. The altitude has been flagged in their analysis, but focus and accuracy are the mantras that matter most for the touring pack.
“We are trying not to think too much about the altitude because if we nail our plays, if we nail our own individual roles, it will go a long way for us,” Paenga-Amosa said, adding that the team wants to test themselves against the champions at Ellis Park rather than be defined by past results.
Uncapped scrumhalf Ryan Lonergan fronted the media alongside Paenga-Amosa, a small indicator of an Australian squad leaning into new voices. The Wallabies improved during their series against the British and Irish Lions, and they have promised to build on the confidence of their final outing as they open their Rugby Championship campaign.
Young guns, old soul, and the culture behind the badge
The Springboks closed their two week conditioning camp in Johannesburg with three Junior Springbok champions in tow, a smart investment in the future that adds spark to the present. Bathobele Hlekani, Cheswill Jooste and Haashim Pead immersed themselves in senior standards, a point of pride for Erasmus and a source of motivation for the youngsters.
“It was fantastic to have Bathobele, Cheswill, and Haashim with us, and it was impressive to see their enthusiasm and the way they grabbed the opportunity with both hands on and off the field,” said Erasmus, who stressed that the exercise was about exposure to systems and standards, not a crash course in playbooks.
Jooste, who was with the SA U18s only last year, called the fortnight incredible. “As a Junior Bok, it was a privilege to be among the best, and although it was tough, I learned a lot. I walk away with new insights, more confidence and an even greater hunger to grow,” he said, a line that resonates with a wider squad that prides itself on continuity and curiosity.
Pead, second on the try scoring charts at the U20 Championship, described the experience as amazing, and Hlekani spoke of sharpening technique at a higher intensity. The trio now return to their unions for Currie Cup duty, but the imprint of the camp lingers, a reminder that the pathway is open and that the jersey carries both opportunity and expectation.
Where the game tilts on Saturday
Ruck speed and contest will shape the tone. With Kolisi packing down nominally at eight, and with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Marco van Staden in tandem, the champions are geared for a bruising breakdown battle that denies Australia clean launch platforms. If the openside exchanges go South Africa’s way, the home side can squeeze territory and tempo in familiar fashion.
The second lever is cohesion in a backline tweaked by necessity. Fassi’s selection at 15, van der Merwe’s start on the wing, and Esterhuizen’s power game at 12 create a different texture to the Boks’ aerial and midfield profile. Erasmus has leaned into the camp theme of trialling combinations, and Manie Libbok will again be the conduit tasked with turning front foot rhythm into scoreboard pressure.
Bench split and late week chess
Erasmus admitted the surprise Monday team announcement came after extended preparation, but he also left the door ajar for a small adjustment depending on Australia’s bench split. If the Wallabies opt for a 6–2 among the replacements, RG Snyman could come into the mix to counter forward numbers. If they go 5–3, the Boks are content to stick with their named 23.
This is classic Erasmus, clarity paired with contingency, a habit that keeps opponents guessing and tends to galvanise his own group. It also underscores how seriously the champions are taking a fixture that offers both points and proof of concept at the start of a title defence.
The road ahead and the stakes at Ellis Park
The Springboks are chasing a fifth straight win against Australia after two victories in last season’s Rugby Championship and one each in 2023 and 2022. Momentum at home would set up a rugged stretch, with a second Wallabies Test in Cape Town on 23 August, a tour to New Zealand for Tests in Auckland and Wellington on 6 and 13 September, then Argentina in Durban and London on 27 September and 4 October.
Tickets for the local Tests are on sale through Ticketmaster, a practical note that pairs with the broader plot line, the champions want a fast start as they defend a Rugby Championship crown won last season for the first time since 2019. For Australia, the assignment is stark, conquer a venue that has repelled generations, match the breakdown heat, and carry belief into the final quarter at altitude.
Springbok team and key talking points
South Africa’s matchday squad includes Aphelele Fassi, Edwill van der Merwe, Jesse Kriel, Andre Esterhuizen, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Manie Libbok, Grant Williams, Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden, Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx and Ox Nche as the starting pack and backline, with Bongi Mbonambi, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Franco Mostert, Kwagga Smith, Cobus Reinach, Canan Moodie and Damian Willemse on the bench.
- Kolisi’s role at eight is about breakdown muscle rather than traditional eighthman carries,
- Fassi’s selection at fullback and van der Merwe’s start on the wing refresh the back three profile,
- Esterhuizen’s inclusion at 12 covers for Damian de Allende’s back niggle and keeps the Boks’ midfield punch intact.
The final word
If you strip away the tactics and the history, Saturday comes down to edges and execution. The Springboks have doubled down on versatility in the loose trio and backed form and fitness in the backline, the Wallabies have parked the past and fixed their eyes on a present test that will ask hard questions in the thin Highveld air.
Erasmus’s men have named their hand, the visitors carry intent, and Ellis Park will do the rest. The Rugby Championship opens with old rivals, new wrinkles, and a game that promises more than points, it promises a measure of where both teams truly stand.
