LIVE | Vermeulen to lead Springboks against Wallabies, Libbok starts

Duane Vermeulen will lead the Springboks for the third time in their opening Rugby Championship clash against Australia at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. 

Vermeulen leads a team featuring a core of Rugby World Cup winners and talented newcomers – who have excelled at vital moments in the past few seasons – and includes a debutant in former Ireland international lock Jean Kleyn, who will earn his first Springbok Test cap.

Flyhalf Manie Libbok and loose forward Marco van Staden also make their first starts having previously made three and 10 appearances respectively as replacements. 

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber also named 14 players to depart early for New Zealand on Tuesday to acclimatise and maximise the chances of performing well in the first two Tests, separated by seven days, and 12 000km and 10 time zones. 

Vermeulen, who captained the Springboks against Argentina and the All Blacks in 2019, takes over the armband from the injured Siya Kolisi, and forms a powerful loose trio against the Wallabies with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Van Staden, while Nienaber selected a front row featuring props Frans Malherbe and Ox Nche, and hooker Bongi Mbonambi. Kleyn partners Marvin Orie at lock. 

In the backline, exciting Bulls wingers Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse will play in front of their home fans with experienced fullback Willie le Roux serving as the last line of defence at fullback while Lukhanyo Am returns for the first time since August to renew a former Sharks provincial partnership with Andre Esterhuizen.

Libbok is partnered at halfback by scrumhalf Cobus Reinach – who makes his first start since the final match of the 2021 season. 

Nienaber opted for a six-two split in favour of the forwards on the bench with the only two