Rugby Championship: South Africa v Australia, Cape Town Stadium, 4.10pm – Live on Sky Sports Action
South Africa were deeply disappointed with last weekend’s shock 38-22 Rugby Championship loss to Australia, but Saturday brings a fresh opportunity to put in a performance that goes some way towards making up for that defeat says captain Jesse Kriel.
The Springboks gave up a 22-point lead at Ellis Park, a ground where they had not lost to Australia in 62 years, in a bewildering second-half display that has resulted in much soul-searching this week and nine changes to their starting team in Cape Town.
“We know what we did not get right last week, we have rectified that as a team and we were eager to get back on the training field on Monday,” Kriel told reporters on Friday.
“We also can’t dismiss the fact that it is just one game and we have another chance this weekend [to put it right]. We are itching to get on to the field and excited to get back out there.”
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South Africa had been on an eight-game winning run and cruising through the early part of their season until the jarring defeat.
“There is a lot of pressure, but at this level there is pressure on everyone. We are used to it as a group and to being in tight situations.”
Kriel welcomes regular inside centre partner Damian de Allende back into the side this week after injury and they will come up against the Australian pair of Len Ikitau and Joseph Suaalii, who were excellent in Johannesburg.
“It’s exciting to have Damian back in the mix and it is a great challenge for us, something we are relishing,” Kriel said.
“They [Ikitau and Suaalii] are two unbelievable athletes and showed through their work-rate and performance what they can do.
“You want to play against great athletes and players. We are looking forward to it.”
The Springboks are the defending champions in the Rugby Championship but now on the back foot in this year’s competition following Australia’s bonus-point win.
Kriel says their only concern is winning on Saturday and not chasing the extra point.
“We have not thought about bonus points, it is just about performing well in the Test match, whatever comes after that is a bonus. We have a big job to do.”
SOUTH AFRICA: Aphelele Fassi; Canan Moodie, Jesse Kriel (capt), Damian de Allende, Cheslin Kolbe; Handre Pollard, Grant Williams; Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, Thomas du Toit; RG Snyman, Ruan Nortje; Marco van Staden, Franco Mostert, Jean-Luc du Preez.
Replacements: Marnus van der Merwe, Boan Venter, Wilco Louw, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Kwagga Smith, Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
AUSTRALIA: Tom Wright; Max Jorgensen, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Corey Toole; James O’Connor, Nic White; Tom Robertson, Tom Hooper, Taniela Tupou; Nick Frost, Will Skelton; Billy Pollard, Fraser McReight (capt), Rob Valetini.
Replacements: Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Angus Bell, Zane Nonggorr, Jeremy Williams, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Tate McDermott, Tane Edmed, Andrew Kellaway.

Argentina v New Zealand, Estadio José Amalfitani, Buenos Aires, 10.10pm Irish time – Live on Sky Sports Action
New Zealand coach Scott Robertson is banking on backrow beef and a reinforced bench to deliver another Rugby Championship win over Argentina on Saturday and send his squad home with momentum for a highly-anticipated showdown against South Africa.
After a comfortable 41-24 win over the Pumas in Cordoba, Robertson is keen to see what huge loose forward Simon Parker can bring on his Test debut at number eight between the similarly bulky Tupou Vaa’i and Ardie Savea.
With Savea reverting to number seven, the relatively lightly-built fetcher Du’Plessis Kirifi makes way in Robertson’s push for power.
“We needed a bit of battle-hardened cohesion in our group and also the opportunity for Simon,” Robertson told reporters in Buenos Aires.
“He’s consistent, really accurate and in the last two weeks he’s trained really well. He’s ready for it.”
With mobile big man Vaa’i now established at blindside flanker after playing mostly at lock, the bulked-up backrow has been seen as a longer-term plan to muscle up to world champions South Africa in the collisions.
Having lost both Tests and their title to South Africa last year, the All Blacks will hope to knock them out of contention on home soil next month following the Springboks’ shock loss to Australia.
That would of course mean heading home with a 2-0 record over the Pumas, who crept within seven points during a second-half surge after a slow start in Cordoba.
Robertson will hope the return of loose forward Wallace Sititi, World Rugby’s breakthrough player of the year in his debut 2024 season, and prop Taimati Williams on the bench can buttress the visitors against a Pumas fightback.
“Yeah, some big bodies,” said Robertson of the duo who play their first Tests of the season after injury-disrupted starts.
“If you look at the timing of this Test series, for them to get back for this match is really important.”
While the All Blacks have started the season with four successive Test wins, including the 3-0 home whitewash of France, Felipe Contepomi’s Pumas desperately need a victory to prevent a costly slide down the world rankings.
With the top six sides at the end of the season assured of a more favourable draw for the 2027 World Cup, seventh-ranked Argentina are in danger of losing touch with sixth-ranked Australia.
Making only two changes to his starting side, Contepomi has demanded more from the Julian Montoya-captained squad that showed signs in Cordoba but never really troubled the New Zealanders.
Despite defeating the All Blacks three times since 2020, the Pumas have never beaten them on home soil and will need a big lift in performance to break the drought.
ARGENTINA: Juan Cruz Mallia; Bautista Delguy, Lucio Cinti, Santiago Chocobares, Mateo Carreras; Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Garcia; Mayco Vivas, Julian Montoya (capt), Pedro Delgado; Franco Molina, Pedro Rubiolo; Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo.
Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Joel Sclavi, Guido Petti, Marcos Kremer, Simon Benítez Cruz, Santiago Carreras, Justo Piccardo.
NEW ZEALAND: Will Jordan; Sevu Reece, Billy Proctor, Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane; Beauden Barrett, Cortez Ratima; Ethan de Groot, Codie Taylor, Fletcher Newell; Scott Barrett (capt), Fabian Holland; Tupou Vaa’i, Ardie Savea, Simon Parker.
Replacements: Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tamaiti Williams, Pasilio Tosi, Josh Lord, Wallace Sititi, Finlay Christie, Quinn Tupaea, Damian McKenzie.