Bok team for Wallabies rematch: Marx starts, Moodie to wing it as Nienaber rings the changes

Talented young utility back Canan Moodie will make his Springbok debut against Australia in Sydney in the Rugby Championship on Saturday as injuries and the desire to try a few new player combinations saw head coach Jacques Nienaber make eight changes to the starting team.

Handre Pollard, Lukhanyo Am and Pieter-Steph du Toit were all ruled out due to knee injuries, while Elton Jantjies injured his hand and was not available for selection, which sees Damian Willemse shift from fullback to flyhalf, Jesse Kriel slots in at centre, and Franco Mostert has been included in the loose trio.

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Hooker Malcolm Marx also makes a well deserved return to the starting line-up, after last starting in the opening Rugby Championship match against the All Blacks where he put in a box office display and was named man-of-the-match.

Joseph Dweba was then surprisingly picked ahead of him for the next two games, but after being subbed in the 31st and 40th minutes in those matches, seems to have fallen out of favour as Deon Fourie comes in to supply hooker coverage on the bench.

Other changes in the forwards sees prop Steven Kitshoff come in for a new-look front row with Frans Malherbe, while Jasper Wiese takes over at No 8 from Duane Vermeulen, who will provide an impact off the replacements bench, along with props Ox Nche and Trevor Nyakane.

Backline changes

In the backline 19-year-old Moodie earns his first start on the right wing in a positional switch with Warrick Gelant, who has been named among the replacements, while the experienced Willie le Roux will take Willemse’s place at fullback, with the other change in the backline at scrumhalf, where Jaden Hendrikse takes over from Faf de Klerk.

Cobus Reinach makes his return from injury and will serve as back-up for Hendrikse at scrumhalf, with Frans Steyn providing cover at flyhalf and centre, while Gelant will offer options on the wing and fullback.

“We selected a team we thought would be best for this match given that we have several players out with injuries and with an eye on how we want to play,” said Nienaber.

“With both flyhalves injured, Damian was the natural choice at No 10 where he has slotted in for us a lot. He is also becoming a settled player in our team with over 20 Test caps to his name.

“This will also be a great test for Canan, who was a stand-out player for the Bulls this season in the United Rugby Championship. He’s a very talented player, who will enjoy this opportunity.”

Looking at the match, Nienaber said: “We had a thorough review of our performance against Australia last week, and the most disappointing aspect is that were dominant in several areas of the game, but we struggled to show that on the scoreboard.

“This week is a final for us to stay in the competition and we are expecting Australia to be just as desperate, but so are we.”

Springbok team

Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi, Damian Willemse, Jaden Hendrikse, Jasper Wiese, Franco Mostert, Siya Kolisi, Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff. Bench: Deon Fourie, Ox Nche, Trevor Nyakane, Kwagga Smith, Duane Vermeulen, Cobus Reinach, Frans Steyn, Warrick Gelant