All you need to know about the Wallabies and Springbok game

AUSTRALIA v SOUTH AFRICA – OPTUS STADIUM, PERTH – KO 5.45pm (11.45am SAST)

Referee

Paul Williams (New Zealand)

Test debut: 12 November, 2016 – Romania 23-10 USA

Tests as referee: 36

• Paul Williams will referee this fixture for the third time with each team winning their home fixture – South Africa 35-17 in Johannesburg in 2019 and Australia 25-17 in Adelaide in 2022.

• Australia have won three of nine Tests with Williams in the middle, the others being against Samoa in 2019 and Japan in 2021.

• Williams has also overseen the Wallabies in two draws – 16-16 v New Zealand and 15-15 v Argentina in the Tri-Nations in 2020.

• He also acted as a Television Match Official for one match in that tournament, a 24-22 victory for Australia over trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand.

• By contrast, he has only refereed the Springboks on three previous occasions – twice against Australia and a 23-18 victory over Wales in 2021.

• Williams was an assistant referee for last weekend’s match in Brisbane.

• This will be his third test in the middle in 2024, having overseen England’s 27-24 victory over Italy in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations in February and Samoa’s 33-25 defeat of Italy in July.

Head-to-head

Played 94* – South Africa leads 51-40 with three draws

Points for: Australia 1,660 / South Africa 1,893 (Avg. score: 18-20)

Highest score: Australia 49 (49-0 on 15 July, 2006) / South Africa 61 (61-22 on 23 August, 1997)

Biggest winning margin: Australia 49 (49-0 on 15 July, 2006) / South Africa 45 (53-8 on 30 August, 2008)

* Only Tests for both teams (first three matches were non-cap for South Africa)

First met: 25 June, 1921 – South Africa 25-10 Australia (non-cap match for South Africa)

Last met: 8 July, 2023 – South Africa 33-7 Australia – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Head-to-head notes

• South Africa have retained the Nelson Mandela Plate for another year following last weekend’s 33-7 victory in Brisbane.

• The Springboks dominated proceedings at Suncorp Stadium with captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Kurt-Lee Arendse scoring first-half tries – all converted by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

• Replacement Kwagga Smith and Arendse then scored in quick succession just past the hour mark.

• Australia were only able to manage a late consolation score through Hunter Paisami. Until his 76th minute try, Australia were on course to be held pointless by South Africa for the first time since June 1956 (9-0) in Brisbane.

• Four yellow cards were produced by Luke Pearce in Brisbane, three of them for South African players in Malcolm Marx, Marco van Staden and Jesse Kriel. Andrew Kellaway saw yellow for Australia.

• It was South Africa’s first win in Brisbane for 11 years, dating back to a 38-12 win at Suncorp Stadium in 2013. This was South Africa’s only win in Brisbane in the professional era.

• This was South Africa’s 51st victory in Tests against Australia, their 50th having come in last year’s Rugby Championship, 43-12 in their opener in Pretoria. Arendse scored a hat-trick, the winger bagging the eighth, ninth and 10th tries of his then eight-Test career.

• South Africa were also awarded two penalty tries, while Du Toit rounded things off with their sixth try five minutes from time.

• Australia scored the first and last tries at Loftus Versfeld through Marika Koroibete and debutant Carter Gordon but conceded 43 points in between.

• The Wallabies' cause was not helped by the yellow cards issued to David Porecki and Suli Vunivalu.

• South Africa have now won three in a row against Australia, 24-8 in Sydney in 2022 and 43-12 in Pretoria last year.

• They have not won four consecutive Tests against the Wallabies since a seven-game winning run between 1969-71.

• They are also bidding to win four Tests in a row on Australian soil, something they last achieved between 1971 (3) and 1993 (1).

• South Africa need seven points to bring up 1 900 in Tests against Australia.

• This will be their ninth meeting in Perth and first since the sides drew 23-23 at nib Stadium in September 2017.

• Australia have a W4, D2, L2 record against the Springboks in the city with South Africa last tasting victory in Perth in 2009, 32-25 at Subiaco Oval.

• All four of Australia’s victories have been by a single score with seven points the biggest winning margin in both 2008 (16-9) and 2012 (26-19).

Team notes

• Australia finished winless for the first time in the history of The Rugby Championship in 2023.

• Their solitary Rugby Championship title came in 2015 when the tournament was restricted to three matches due to it being a Rugby World Cup year.

• The Wallabies have won three of their four Tests in 2024 with two victories against Wales followed by one against Georgia.

• Last weekend’s 33-7 loss to South Africa ended Australia’s four-match winning run which included a 34-14 win over Portugal in their final Pool C game at Rugby World Cup 2023.

• Dynamic back-row duo, Rob Valetini and Fraser McReight, each bagged a brace of tries in the win over the Lelos on 20 July, while Hunter Paisami and Isaac Kailea also got on the scoresheet. Ben Donaldson kicked five out of six conversions.

• Filipo Daugunu received a red card, continuing Australia’s record this year of having conceded at least one card in every match. McReight spent 10 minutes in the sin-bin in the first Test against Wales as did Lukhan Salakaia-Loto in the second and

Kellaway against South Africa.

• Australia’s six tries came from just nine entries into the Georgian 22, coming away with an average of 4.44 points per visit.

• Australia were 100% at line-out and scrum-time on their own throw and put-in against Georgia and had a 57% share of possession and territory.

• Allan Alaalatoa led the Wallabies against Georgia — the third captain in as many weeks for Australia. Liam Wright suffered a shoulder injury in his first match as captain in the first test against Wales and was replaced in the second Test by James Slipper, who was rested for the Georgia match.

• Australia wrapped up a 2-0 series win over Wales with a 36-28 victory in Melbourne. It followed a 25-16 win in Sydney the week before.

• Filipo Daugunu scored a brace of tries at AAMI Park and Jake Gordon and Alaalatoa also crossed for the Wallabies who always had control of the scoreboard.

• Noah Lolesio kicked a couple of conversions and three penalties, while Ben Donaldson added a three-pointer late on.

• In the first Test, Taniela Tupou, Filipo Daugunu and Tom Wright scored tries, Lolesio kicked eight points and Tom Lynagh chipped in with a conversion on debut.

• South Africa have finished as runners-up to New Zealand in the last two Rugby Championships.

• South Africa are 25 points short of scoring 1 500 in The Rugby Championship.

• The Springboks entered 2024 as back-to-back world champions having claimed their fourth Rugby World Cup title in France in 2023.

• South Africa have a P5, W3, L1 record in 2024, with wins against Wales, Ireland, Portugal and Australia.

• Their only defeat of the year came in the second Test against Ireland.

• The Springboks looked set to win that game in Durban after coming back from 16-6 down at half-time. However, Ciaran Frawley snatched a 25-24 victory for Ireland with the last kick of the game after slotting his second drop goal.

• Handré Pollard kicked all of South Africa’s points through eight penalties, equalling the record for a Springbok player in a Test set by Morné Steyn against New Zealand in 2009.

• South Africa were try-less from nine visits into the Ireland 22 and only came away with three points for an average of 0.33 per visit.

• The defeat to Ireland ended South Africa’s six-game winning run, which included the 41-13 win over Wales at Twickenham and the 27-20 victory in the first Test against Ireland.

• South Africa bounced back from the disappointment of that defeat by winning their last game against Portugal, 64-21.

• The Springboks had to counter the loss of centre Andre Esterhuizen to an early yellow card, which was upgraded to red by the bunker.

• Winger Makazole Mapimpi scored a second-half hat-trick among their 10 tries – the third hat-trick of his Test career. The others came against Japan at RWC 2019 and against Romania at RWC 2023, so this was the first outside of a Rugby World Cup.

• With the three tries he scored against Os Lobos, Mapimpi’s tally for the Springboks now stands at 30, placing him fourth on the all-time try scorers’ list. In front of him are Jacques Fourie (32), Joost van der Westhuizen (38) and Bryan Habana (67).

• Four of South Africa’s last eight games have been settled by a single point, with the Springboks having a W3, L1 record in these cliffhangers.

Team news

• Australia have made 10 changes to their match-day 23 – split evenly between the starting line-up and the bench – as they look to bounce back from a heavy defeat in Brisbane.

• Loosehead prop Angus Bell makes his first appearance of the year as one of two changes to the front-row with the other seeing Josh Nasser step up from the bench for his first test start.

• This means two sons of former Wallabies line up will in the front row alongside captain Alaalatoa.

• Angus Blyth comes into the second row to partner Salakaia-Loto, while the back-row triumvirate of Rob Valetini, Carlo Tizzano and Harry Wilson is unchanged.

• Nic White earns a first start of 2024 alongside Noah Lolesio at half-back with Paisami and Len Ikitau continuing outside them.

• The only change in the backline sees Marika Koroibete replace the injured Filipo Daugunu on the left wing for his first Test since Rugby World Cup 2023 and 60th in total for the Wallabies.

• Koroibete joins Kellaway and fullback Wright in the back three.

• Five players come onto the bench for this weekend, including the uncapped duo of flanker Seru Uru and back Max Jorgensen. The latter was the youngest member of Australia’s squad for RWC 2023 but was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a broken leg in training.

• Billy Pollard fills the replacement hooker spot vacated by Nasser with Tom Hooper the other recalled forward on the bench, both having featured against Georgia last month.

• Donaldson is the other new face, replacing Lynagh as back-up to Lolesio.

• Slipper is set for his 138th Test appearance from the bench, drawing him to within one of Australia’s most-capped player George Gregan.

• South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus have made 10 personnel changes for the rematch with Australia with only five players retained in the starting line-up.

• No 8 Elrigh Louw, flyhalf Feinberg-Mngomezulu, centre Jesse Kriel and winger Cheslin Kolbe continue in the same positions, while Du Toit switches from second row to flanker.

• Salmaan Moerat comes into the second row and assumes the captaincy with Kolisi rested for this weekend. It will be the second time Moerat captains South Africa, having done so against Portugal last month.

• The front row of Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar and Thomas du Toit is reunited again having played together against Portugal, when Wessels and Grobbelaar made their Test debuts.

• Ruan Nortje will partner Moerat in the second row in what will be his first Test start, having not appeared for the Springboks since his debut against Wales in July 2022.

• Marco van Staden steps into the starting line-up to join Du Toit and Louw in the back row.

• Morne van den Berg earns a first Test start at scrumhalf following his debut against Portugal last month and will partner Feinberg-Mngomezulu at halfback.

• Lukhanyo Am lines up alongside Kriel in midfield with Mapimpi coming onto the left wing and Aphelele Fassi named at full-back.

• Manie Libbok is the only player on the bench not involved in Brisbane last weekend, having started in their last July international against Portugal.

• There are more caps on the South Africa bench (419) than in the starting line-up (332) with the presence of Eben Etzebeth and Pollard accounting for 195 of the Test caps among replacements.

• If Etzebeth takes the field in Perth, he will draw level with Habana as the second most capped Springbok in history on 124 Tests, three behind Victor Matfield.

Coach notes

• Joe Schmidt was unveiled as the Wallabies’ new head coach in January 2024 and won his first three of his games in charge before the South Africa defeat last weekend.

• He is the third New Zealander after Robbie Deans and Dave Rennie to coach Australia.

• The 58-year-old is renowned for his success with Ireland, winning three Six Nations titles along with historic wins over the All Blacks and South Africa.

• The World Rugby Men’s 15s Coach of the Year 2018 led Ireland to number one in the World Rugby Men’s Rankings for the first time in 2019 before linking up with the All Blacks as an assistant coach.

• Prior to this, he won two Champions Cups with Irish powerhouse Leinster along to go with the Challenge Cup and PRO 14 title.

• Rassie Erasmus – the mastermind behind the Springboks’ back-to-back Rugby World Cup successes of 2019 and 2023 – has returned to the role of head coach for the next four years following the departure of Jacques Nienaber to Leinster.

• Erasmus coached the team in 2019 and was Director of Rugby four years later.

• Erasmus’ reign in charge started with a defeat to Wales in Washington DC in June 2018.

• Former All Black flyhalf Tony Brown has been brought in as attack coach and the responsibility for the defence now falls to former Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery.

• Erasmus has also added a performance analyst in Paddy Sullivan, who worked with the team as a consultant at RWC 2023. Sullivan has been a performance analyst for French Top 14 team, Montpelier, for the last three seasons.

• Double RWC-winning Springbok No 8, Duane Vermeulen, has also been appointed to a roving coaching role with all SA Rugby’s national teams, while former referee Jaco Peyper has come on board as a laws advisor.

• Erasmus won 36 caps for South Africa as a back-row forward.