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.
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 prop Steven Kitshoff, 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.
Australia is coached again by Eddie Jones, who led his country to the 2003 World Cup final before taking jobswith Japan and most recently England's national team. Jones was a consultant on the Springboks coaching staff when they won their second World Cup title in France in 2007 and coached England in its loss to South Africa in the World Cup final four years ago.
Jones will name his team for the first game of his second coaching stint with Australia on Thursday.
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South Africa: Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Manie Libbok, Cobus Reinach; Duane Vermeulen (captain), Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden, Marvin Orie, Jean Kleyn, Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche. Reserves: Joseph Dweba, Thomas du Toit, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Evan Roos, Deon Fourie, Grant Williams, Damian Willemse.
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