Springboks v Wallabies: By the numbers

THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 – SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST

SOUTH AFRICA v AUSTRALIA – EMIRATES AIRLINE PARK, JOHANNESBURG – KO 5.10pm

Referee

Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)

Test debut: 11 June, 2016 – Samoa 19-19 Georgia

Tests as referee: 52

• Ben O’Keeffe will take charge of this fixture for the fourth time, having refereed the 27-27 draw in Bloemfontein in September 2017 and South Africa’s victories in September 2022 (24-8) and July 2023 (43-12).

• It will be his second time refereeing at this venue after taking charge of South Africa’s 42-39 defeat of England in June 2018.

• South Africa have a W9, D1, L2 record with the New Zealand official in the middle, winning five in a row from 2018-2023.

• O’Keeffe refereed South Africa three times at Rugby World Cup 2023, including the quarter-final defeat of hosts France and semi-final win over England.

• Australia have a W4, D1, L7 with four of the losses coming in their last five Tests with O’Keeffe in charge, the only exception the 42-37 defeat of England in Twickenham last November.

• This will be O’Keeffe’s fourth Test of the year, having overseen Ireland’s 27-22 defeat of England in the Men’s Six Nations in February, Fiji’s 29-14 victory over Scotland and the British & Irish Lions’ 27-19 defeat of Australia in July.

• The Ireland-England match was his 50th Test as a referee.

Head-to-head

Played 95* – South Africa leads 52-40 with three draws

Points for: South Africa 123/Australia 1 672 (Avg. score: 20-18)

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

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

* 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: 17 August, 2024 – South Africa 30-12 Australia – Optus Stadium, Perth

Head-to-head notes

• South Africa are the current holders of the Nelson Mandela Plate, the prize at stake whenever these two teams meet.

• As challengers, Australia need to win both of this year’s Rugby Championship matches to get their hands on the silverware.

• They will meet again at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on 23 August.

• South Africa have won their last four games against the Wallabies – their best run since they won seven in a row between 1969-71.

• Australia last beat the Springboks in 2022 – 25-17 in Adelaide.

• Australia’s last victory on South African soil was 14-9 at King’s Park in Durban, on 13 August, 2011.

• James O’Connor kicked three penalties in the win in addition to Pat McCabe’s try.

• Australia’s record in South Africa since then is W0, D1, L6, with the 27-27 draw in Bloemfontein in 2017 being the only time they haven’t been beaten when hosted by the Springboks.

• The Wallabies have only scored four tries in the last four meetings and drew a blank in the last encounter, a 30-12 defeat in Perth in the 2024 Rugby Championship.

• All of Australia's points came through Noah Lolesio, who kicked four penalties.

• Malcolm Marx scored a double for the Springboks after earlier tries from Aphelele Fassi and Marco van Staden.

• Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu kicked two penalties and a conversion, while Handré Pollard added the extras to the Springboks’ fourth try.

• Back-row Serupepeli Uru was sin-binned on his debut for the Wallabies.

Team notes

• South Africa ended their five-year wait for The Rugby Championship title when they won the 2024 edition.

• It was their second title since Argentina joined the competition to form The Rugby Championship, having previously lifted the trophy in 2019.

• The Springboks picked up 24 competition points – eight more than runners-up New Zealand – from five wins and one defeat.

• They secured the title when they beat Argentina 48-7 in Nelspruit in September, having lost to Los Pumas 29-28 in the penultimate round – one of only two defeats that they suffered in 2024.

• The defeat to Argentina ended their record-equalling winning run of five matches in The Rugby Championship and also saw them lose their No 1 ranking to Ireland, which they reclaimed in November.

• In the first four rounds, South Africa recorded bonus-point wins away to Australia, 33-7 in Brisbane and 30-12 in Perth, before beating New Zealand 31-27 in Johannesburg and 18-12 in Cape Town.

• South Africa won 15 scrum penalties in the 2024 Rugby Championship, which was only four fewer than the rest of the teams combined.

• South Africa only conceded one scrum penalty in the entire competition.

• The Springboks had the worst goal-kicking success rate, having slotted 28 of their 41 attempts (68%).

• South Africa attempted the most drop goals (four of the five in the competition) but without any success.

• The Springboks averaged the most kicks in play (28).

• South Africa have won all seven Tests since they lost to Argentina almost a year ago, including their first clean sweep in the November internationals in 11 years in the 2024 Autumn Nations Series.

• South Africa beat Scotland 32-15, England 29-20 and Wales 45-12.

• They kicked off this year’s schedule with a 54-7 win over the Barbarians before beating Italy twice (42-24 and 45-0) and Georgia 55-10.

• Jasper Wiese was sent off in the 20th minute of the 45-0 win, and the Springboks also received a yellow card (Wilco Louw) and gave away 13 penalties. Wiese was subsequently suspended for four matches.

• The Springboks were far more disciplined in the other two Tests, though, keeping all 15 men on the field and managing a single-figure penalty count on each occasion.

• Ireland were the last team to beat South Africa on home soil, 25-24 in the second match of a two-Test series in July 2024.

• South Africa have won 13 of their last 16 home Tests, with the defeats coming against Ireland, New Zealand and Wales.

• Australia finished bottom of The Rugby Championship in 2024.

• The Wallabies picked up five competition points from their six matches – one win and five defeats, which is a record low for them in the competition. Previously, their lowest total had been nine points.

• Australia began their campaign with back-to-back home defeats to South Africa (33-7 and 30-12), before coming away from Buenos Aires with a 20-19 win over Argentina in round three.

• However, Australia then suffered their second heaviest loss of all time in the return match in Santa Fe, losing 67-27. It was the most points they have conceded in a Test.

• Australia fought valiantly at home against the All Blacks in round five before losing 31-28 and then concluded their campaign with a 33-13 defeat in New Zealand.

• Australia scored the fewest points (107) and conceded the most (213) in the tournament.

• Ten of the 28 tries they conceded came in the final quarter of matches.

• Australia had the best goal-kicking success in the competition with 91% (21/23).

• Ben Donaldson (5/5) and Tom Lynagh (2/2) didn’t miss an attempt at goal, while Lolesio kicked 14 out of 16.

• Australia enter the 2025 edition fresh from a 2-1 series defeat to the British & Irish Lions.

• After losing the first two Tests 27-19 in Brisbane and 29-26 in front of 90 000 fans in Melbourne, Australia salvaged some pride with a 22-12 win in the final match in Sydney.

• Australia had a 100% record on their scrum feed across the series (21/21).

• The Wallabies didn’t receive a single yellow card and only conceded an average of 8.7 penalties per game.

• Australia scored an average of three points for every visit into the Lions' 22. They averaged 6.33 visits per game.

• Australia only scored one point fewer than the Lions across the series (67/68).

• They scored slightly more points in the first half of matches (36/31) but the number of points they conceded were split equally between the halves (34/34).

• Australia went into the Lions series on the back of a 21-18 win over Fiji in Newcastle.

• The Wallalbies had a W2, L2 record in the 2024 Autumn Nations Series and, at one point, were on course for their first European tour grand slam since 1984 after a 42-37 win over England and a record 52-20 defeat of Wales in their first two matches.

• Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii earned the Player of the Match accolade in the England fixture, which was his first game in professional rugby union following a switch of codes.

• Against Wales, Matt Faessler made history by becoming the first hooker to score a hat-trick for Australia in their 695-Test history.

• The first Australian hat-trick by any player since Andrew Kellaway’s treble against Argentina in 2021 was soon followed by another as fullback Tom Wright also crossed the Welsh line three times.

• Any hopes Australia had of emulating David Campese et al with a grand slam tour were dashed in their third game, a 27-13 defeat to Scotland, which featured a try on debut for winger Harry Potter.

• Australia headed to Murrayfield with the best points-per-visit match average in the Autumn Nations Series (4.1) but they were stifled by the Scottish defence and collected only 10 points from 11 entries.

• A Max Jorgensen try and 14 points from the boot of Lolesio put Australia 19-15 ahead in their final match against Ireland but the hosts scored a converted try seven minutes from time to ruin Joe Schmidt’s return to Dublin.

• Australia last won at Emirates Airline Park back in 1963 and have a P10, W1, L9 record at the iconic ground.

Team news

• South Africa second-row Eben Etzebeth will play his 134th Test for the Springboks to move to joint 10th in the list of most-capped men’s players alongside Gethin Jenkins (Wales and the British & Irish Lions).

• Etzebeth is one of 18 Rugby World Cup winners named in the match-day 23 with only three players have less than five Test caps to their name, including replacement prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye who made his debut in the 45-0 defeat of Italy on 12 July.

• The starting line-up shows eight changes from South Africa’s last outing, a 55-10 defeat of Georgia in Nelspruit on 19 July.

• Ox Nche, Marx and Wilco Louw form the new front-row trio with Lood de Jager a familiar second-row partner for Etzebeth.

• Siya Kolisi will wear the No 8 jersey in a Test for the first time, on the occasion of his 94th Test for the Springboks, with Van Staden coming into join his captain and Pieter-Steph du Toit in the back-row.

• Grant Williams continues in the nine jersey but has Manie Libbok as his half-back partner with Andre Esterhuizen and Jess Kriel forming the new midfield combination.

• The back three of Kurt-Lee Arendse, Edwill van der Merwe and Fassi is unchanged having contributed three tries between them in the win over Georgia.

• Hooker Bongi Mbonambi and second-row Franco Mostert are set to win their 80th caps off the bench as part of a five-three split opted for by Rassie Erasmus.

• South Africa had a make a change to their bench on Friday with prop Boan Venter, who debuted against Georgia last month, replacing Jan-Hendrik Wessels who suffered a niggle in training this week.

• Veteran flyhalf O'Connor is the only change to Australia’s starting line-up from the 22-12 victory over the British & Irish Lions in Sydney a fortnight ago.

• It is O’Connor’s first Test for three years since he started against Argentina in The Rugby Championship and the first time he faces the Springboks since September 2013.

• O’Connor is partnered at half-back Nic White, who has delayed his retirement from international rugby due to injuries at scrumhalf.

• Outside them, for the seventh consecutive Test match, is the pairing of Len Ikitau and Suaalii. Ikitau has started the last 15 Tests under Schmidt.

• Wright, another favourite of Schmidt's, continues at fullback, having only missed one Test since Rugby World Cup 2023, while Dylan Pietsch is rewarded for his impressive showing against the Lions with another run out on the left wing.

• Jorgensen completes an exciting back three.

• Australia’s most-capped player James Slipper will play his 148th Test and is one of just three players in the match-day 23 who have played for the Wallabies at this venue.

• The others are fellow prop Taniela Tupou, who wins his 60th cap and White.

• Billy Pollard joins Slipper and Tupou in the front row, while Nick Frost and Will Skelton are paired together again in the engine room.

• Tom Hooper, who made his debut in South Africa in 2023 and Fraser McReight are the two flankers with captain Harry Wilson at No 8.

• Angus Bell will win a 40th cap when called upon from the bench, while his fellow front-row forward Brandon Paenga-Amosa’s sister Katalina is preparing for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England with the Wallaroos.

Coach notes

• Erasmus returned to the Springboks head coach role in February 2024, signing a contract that takes him up to the end of 2027.

• Erasmus was the mastermind behind the Springboks’ back-to-back Rugby World Cup successes of 2019 and 2023 – as head coach and then director of rugby.

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

• Erasmus won 36 caps for South Africa as a back-row forward from 1997-2001.

• Schmidt was unveiled as the Wallabies’ new head coach in January 2024 and has won eight of his 17 games in charge (47%).

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

• The 59-year-old is renowned for his success with Ireland, winning three Men’s Six Nations titles along with historic wins over New Zealand and South Africa.

• The World Rugby Men’s 15s Coach of the Year 2018 led Ireland to No 1 in the World Rugby Men’s Rankings for the first time in 2019 before linking up with the All Blacks as an assistant coach following a period as World Rugby’s Director of Rugby and High Performance.

• Previously, he won two Champions Cups with Irish province Leinster, along with the European Rugby Challenge Cup and PRO 14 title.

• Schmidt will stand down from the position and be replaced by Les Kiss in 2026.

Springbok starting XV: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse; 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Grant Williams; 8 Siya Kolisi (capt), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden; 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth; 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Canan Moodie, 23 Damian Willemse.

Wallaby starting XV: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Dylan Pietsch; 10 James O'Connor, 9 Nic White; 8 Harry Wilson (capt), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper; 5 Will Skelton, 4 Nick Frost; 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Billy Pollard, 1 James Slipper. Replacements: 16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tane Edmed, 22 Tate McDermott, 23 Andrew Kellaway.

South Africa v Australia - Saturday @ Emirates Airline Park (5.10pm)

Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (NZR)

Assistant Referees: James Doleman (NZR), Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)

Television Match Official: Tual Trainini (FFR)

FPRO: Richard Kelly (NZR)

Broadcast: SuperSport Rugby