South Africa has named Andre Esterhuizen as the new captain for their upcoming Test match against Australia in Perth. Esterhuizen, a versatile player who can play in the back row, will lead the team from the centre position in a significantly changed Springboks lineup. This marks a major shift from the starting XV that recently defeated New Zealand in the fourth Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) match in Baltimore. Coach Rassie Erasmus has made 13 changes to the team, reflecting a strategic reorganization ahead of the match. Handre Pollard returns to the team in the No 10 shirt, having missed the New Zealand series due to injury. In the second row, Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert form an experienced partnership. Jasper Wiese is set to earn his 50th cap and is one of six forwards named on the bench. Meanwhile, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Damian de Allende have been rested and will not participate in this match, ahead of South Africa’s Nations Championship fixtures in November. Erasmus mentioned that all players in the squad have been training hard over the past few months and have had opportunities to play in either the first leg of the Nations Championship or the RGR series, or both. Players like Handre Pollard and Canan Moodie have recovered from injuries and are now available for selection. Erasmus expressed excitement about the team’s performance and noted that Australia presents a different challenge compared to New Zealand, particularly in terms of playing style. Andre Esterhuizen, who has previously captained the Sharks, has been a key player for South Africa both on and off the field, contributing in the centre and back row. Erasmus believes Esterhuizen is the ideal choice to take on the captaincy for this match. The Springboks previously came back from 1-0 down to win the RGR series 3-1 against New Zealand. After this match, the team will have over a month off before resuming their Nations Championship campaign against Italy on 7 November, followed by matches against France and Ireland. The South Africa team for the match against Australia in Perth (Sunday, 27 September, 10am BST) includes the following players: 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 3 Zachary Porthen; 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Franco Mostert; 6 Paul de Villiers, 7 Elrigh Louw, 8 Marco van Staden; 9 Herschel Jantjies, 10 Handre Pollard; 11 Ethan Hooker, 12 Andre Esterhuizen (captain), 13 Canan Moodie, 14 Edwill van der Merwe; 15 Aphelele Fassi. The replacements are 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Jasper Wiese; 21 Morne van den Berg, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Quan Horn.