Rassie Erasmus says André Esterhuizen is the “right man” to captain the Springboks against the Wallabies in Perth on Sunday.
Esterhuizen will become the 68th Bok captain after Erasmus made 13 changes to the starting XV that beat the All Blacks in Baltimore, with only lock Eben Etzebeth and winger Ethan Hooker retaining their places.
The 32-year-old has emerged as a valuable hybrid option for the Boks, featuring at both inside centre and flank, and Erasmus believes his contribution on and off the field has earned him the honour.
“He captained the Sharks and he has brought so much to our squad. He thoroughly deserves this opportunity,” Erasmus said.
“It will also help build our leadership core even more within the team with several players having captained the side over the last few seasons, and we trust that he is the right man to take over the captaincy in this match.”
TEAM: New captain for new-look Boks
Flyhalf Handré Pollard and utility back Canan Moodie return from injury in a much-changed lineup, while Erasmus has also rested several players following the gruelling All Blacks series.
“Each player in this squad has been working hard at training over the last few months and has had a chance to play in either the first leg of the Nations Championship or Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, or both,” Erasmus said.
“Australia pose a completely different threat to New Zealand in the way they play, so we believe these combinations would be best suited for the challenge that we will face against them.”
ALSO: Bok ‘gift’ shaped Wallabies boss
Erasmus expects a stern examination from a Wallabies side that is unbeaten in four matches under new coach Les Kiss.
“They are a proud nation and will certainly want to continue building momentum,” he said.
“They have physical forwards and a very exciting backline, so it will take another big performance from us to get the result.”
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
The post Rassie: André the Giant deserves captaincy appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Rassie Erasmus says André Esterhuizen is the “right man” to captain the Springboks against the Wallabies in Perth on Sunday.
The post Rassie: André the Giant deserves captaincy appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
