Steady Eddie! Jones makes bold selection calls as he names first Wallabies team in 18 years with NRL convert Suliasi Vunivalu one of four debutants to start against the Springboks as Aussie coach urges his players to ‘be part of history’
Four players are in line to make Test debuts while Wallabies co-captain James Slipper has overcome a knee injury to be named for Australia’s Rugby Championship opener against South Africa.
The Wallabies are looking for a first-ever win in Pretoria on Sunday morning (AEST) with Eddie Jones in charge for his first Test since returning as coach.
Tom Hooper, 22, will earn his first cap after being named as blindside flanker while there are three possible debutants on the bench in five-eighth Carter Gordon, lock Richie Arnold and 21-year-old prop Zane Nonggorr, with Taniela Tupou requiring more training minutes after his Achilles injury.
Brumbies utility forward Hooper will line up alongside co-captain Michael Hooper (no relation) with No.8 Rob Valetini rounding out the back row.
Slipper was in doubt after a training mishap but will make his 128th Test appearance alongside Waratahs hooker David Porecki with Brumbies skipper Allan Alaalatoa at tighthead prop.
Eddie Jones will take charge of his first Wallabies game in 18 years on Saturday night
Former NRL star Suliasi Vunivalu will make his first Test start on the right wing
Nick Frost and France-based Will Skelton are the starting locks.
Nic White will reunite with Quade Cooper in the halves while star inside centre Samu Kerevi will return from a hamstring issue via the bench, leaving Reece Hodge to combine in the midfield with Len Ikitau.
Former NRL star Suliasi Vunivalu will make his first Test start on the right wing, with Marika Koroibete on the left edge and Tom Wright at fullback.
Jones said the Wallabies’ preparation for the Loftus Versfeld clash had been first rate.
‘As a squad, the players have worked extremely hard since coming together as a group and we’ve prepared well this week,’ he said.
‘The 23 players selected have an opportunity to be part of history with a win over South Africa in Pretoria on Saturday night.’
Meanwhile, No. 8 Duane Vermeulen will captain world champion South Africa in its opening test of the Rugby World Cup year against Australia on Saturday and Manie Libbok will make his first start at flyhalf.
Vermeulen stands in for regular captain Siya Kolisi, who is recovering from knee surgery and an injury doubt for the Springboks’ World Cup title defense in France that starts in September.
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Tom Hooper will earn his first cap after being named as blindside flanker by Jones
Duane Vermeulen will captain world champion South Africa in Pretoria
Coach Jacques Nienaber also gave a South Africa test debut to lock Jean Kleyn in the team announced on Tuesday. Kleyn is a South Africa-born former Ireland international who was recently cleared to play for the Springboks.
While Vermeulen leads South Africa in its opening game of a shortened southern hemisphere Rugby Championship, the Springboks will send a separate group of players containing a host of 2019 Rugby World Cup winners to New Zealand to prepare for a test against the All Blacks on July 15.
That group misses the Wallabies game to focus on New Zealand and contains the likes of hooker Malcolm Marx, locks Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager and backline players Faf de Klerk, Cheslin Kolbe, Makazole Mapimpi and Damian de Allende, all World Cup winners.
Kolisi, who had surgery on his right knee in late April and is in a race to be fit for the World Cup, is also with the group that will travel this week to New Zealand, the Springboks said.
‘Our plan from the outset was to select a squad that we believe has what it takes to beat Australia while at the same time selecting a group of players that could travel to New Zealand to give us the best possible chance to do well in both matches,’ Nienaber said.
Vermeulen captains South Africa for the third time and first since 2019. Libbok will also be the focus of attention given South Africa’s injury problems at flyhalf.
Regular No. 10 Handre Pollard is out while stand-in Damian Willemse has only recently recovered from injury and is on the bench against Australia in Pretoria on Saturday.
Like Libbok, flanker Marco van Steden is set to make his first start after having previously appeared for South Africa off the bench.
Prop Ox Nche was named in the team but later sustained a chest injury at training on Tuesday and was a doubt for the game. Steven Kitshoff would remain behind in South Africa as cover instead of traveling with that group of players to New Zealand, the Springboks said.
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