Springboks make 10 starting lineup changes for 2nd Rugby Championship test against Australia

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PERTH, Australia (AP) — Scrumhalf Morne van den Berg and lock Ruan Nortje were expected to earn their first test starts in a South Africa team with 10 changes to the starting lineup which beat Australia last weekend in the first round of the Rugby Championship.

Salmaan Moerat will captain the 2023 World Cup champions from lock while regular captain Siya Kolisi was one of nine players from last Saturday’s 33-7 victory over the Wallabies at Brisbane who has been rotated in the squad.

The teams will play at Perth, Western Australia on Saturday.

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

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says the reason for the wholesale changes was a desire to expand his squad’s depth.

“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 Rugby 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,” Erasmus said in a statement Wednesday.

“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 feel this is the right time to test them against an Australian outfit that will be desperate to bounce back strongly from last weekend.”

Australia had won its first three matches of the season, beating Wales twice and defeating Georgia, before losing to the Springboks last weekend. The Wallabies were expected to name their team for the Perth test on Thursday.

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South Africa: Aphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Morne van den Berg, Elrigh Louw, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje, Salmaan Moerat (captain), Thomas du Toit, Johan Grobbelaar, Jan-Hendrik Wessels; Reserves: Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth, Kwagga Smith, Grant Williams, Manie Libbok, Handre Pollard.

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby