Debuts.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Elrigh Louw will make their first Test starts for South Africa against the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday as the Springboks largely reverted to the squad that shared a two-Test series with Ireland last month for the kick-off of the Rugby Championship at the Suncorp Stadium.

The matchday-23 features only three changes from the group that faced the Irish with the only new players being Louw (No 8), two-time Rugby World Cup-winning scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, and replacement utility forward Ben-Jason Dixon.

The 22-year-old Feinberg-Mngomezulu is elevated to start at flyhalf after four appearances off the bench this season (coming on at either flyhalf or fullback) while Louw starts at No 8 after four replacement appearances since his debut at the start of the 2022 season.

Only six players are retained in the squad from the 64-21 win over Portugal at the end of July in Louw, Reinach, Dixon, Feinberg-Mngomezulu, RG Snyman (lock) and Kurt-Lee Arendse (wing).

The new halfback combination sees Reinach continue in the No 9 jumper in place of the Faf de Klerk, who is nursing a niggle, while experienced flyhalf Handre Pollard provides cover off the replacements’ bench, along with Grant Williams, who serves as back-up at scrumhalf and wing, in a six-two split in favour of the forwards.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus, who said that Snyman had picked up a niggle at training on Tuesday and will be monitored for the rest of the week, again named a powerful bomb squad with a front row of Malcolm Marx (hooker), Gerhard Steenekamp and Vincent Koch (both props), alongside Dixon, Marco van Staden and Kwagga Smith.

Springbok team to face Australia in Brisbane:

15 – Willie le Roux
14 – Cheslin Kolbe
13 – Jesse Kriel
12 – Damian de Allende
11 – Kurt-Lee Arendse
10 – Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
9 – Cobus Reinach

8 – Elrigh Louw
7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit
6 – Siya Kolisi (c)
5 – RG Snyman
4 – Eben Etzebeth
3 – Frans Malherbe
2 – Bongi Mbonambi
1 – Ox Nche

Replacements:

16 – Malcolm Marx
17 – Gerhard Steenekamp
18 – Vincent Koch
19 – Ben-Jason Dixon
20 – Marco van Staden
21 – Kwagga Smith
22 – Grant Williams
23 – Handré Pollard