History between the Springboks and Australia

The Springboks and Wallabies will meet this weekend in a one off Test in Perth, with Rassie Erasmus naming his team on Tuesday for the clash.

André Esterhuizen will captain the Springboks for the first time, becoming the 68th player to lead South Africa. The centre will partner Canan Moodie in midfield, while Marco van Staden has been named at No. 8. Jasper Wiese will reach a significant milestone from the replacements bench, earning his 50th Test cap.

Erasmus has made 13 changes to the starting XV that defeated New Zealand 43-28 in Baltimore earlier this month. Only Eben Etzebeth and Ethan Hooker retain their starting places, with Handré Pollard also returning at flyhalf after recovering from injury.

The Springboks and Australia have a long history, with the teams having met 97 times. South Africa have won 53 of those encounters, Australia 41, while three matches have ended in draws. The average score across the rivalry is 20-18 in South Africa's favour.

Last five fixtures

Aug 2025: South Africa 30-22 Australia
Aug 2025: South Africa 22-38 Australia
Aug 2024: South Africa 30-12 Australia
Aug 2024: South Africa 33-7 Australia
Jul 2023: South Africa 43-12 Australia

Both sides head into the match having won four of their last five Tests. Australia will be looking to build on their recent form, while the Springboks arrive in Perth after their successful Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand.

South Africa's biggest victory over Australia came in 1997, when the Springboks produced one of the most memorable results in the rivalry, defeating the Wallabies 61-22 in Pretoria.

The latest meeting between the sides was in August 2025, when Australia claimed a 38-22 victory in Johannesburg. The Wallabies will now look to repeat that success on home soil, while South Africa will be aiming to return to winning ways against their old rivals.