The Springboks are confident that rotating their squad for the second round of the Rugby Championship against Australia does not compromise the team’s quality. World Cup winner Marco van Staden dismissed concerns that the 10 changes made to the lineup for Saturday’s clash with the Wallabies in Perth would be disruptive.
Van Staden, who was part of the Springboks’ World Cup-winning squad last year, disagreed with critics suggesting that the team changes could negatively impact their performance.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a disruption. I don’t think this team needs any more motivation than we currently have for this match,” Van Staden emphasized. “All of us want to use this opportunity, and we took a lot of confidence from training this week. The intensity was really up there, and we want to take that energy into the game.”
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is balancing the need to maintain their winning momentum—having won 17 of their last 20 Tests—with the goal of building squad depth ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. As part of this strategy, Erasmus has selected a mix of World Cup winners and emerging talent to take on the Wallabies.
Van Staden also highlighted the advantage of familiarity within the forward pack, noting that several of the starting players, including himself, Elrigh Louw, Ruan Nortje, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, and Johan Grobbelaar, play together for the Bulls. This, he said, enhances their confidence and cohesion on the field.
“Many of us have played together quite often at the Bulls, which certainly gives us confidence,” said Van Staden. “We’ve been working together well at training in the Bok camp too, so we are excited about this opportunity.”
Looking ahead to the game, Van Staden revealed that the team has been focusing on improving their breakdown play, an area where they were tested by the Wallabies in their previous encounter.
“There has been a big focus on that area of the game this week and on correcting the mistakes of last week,” he explained. “We’ve been working on trying to control what we can and to ensure that we are ready for whatever they throw at us in that department.”
