Dave Rennie has made six changes to his starting XV and handed the keys to Noah Lolesio as the Wallabies look to revive their Rugby Championship campaign against the Springboks in Adelaide.
Wallabies coach Rennie has opted for a 6-2 split on the bench for a clash with South Africa on Saturday, trusting Lolesio to call the shots with Tate McDermott and Andrew Kellaway his back line options on the pine.
Reece Hodge returns at fullback as Wallabies selectors signal their intent to use a long kicking strategy, with Tom Wright shifting to the right wing and Marika Koroibete on the left edge.
Lolesio will link up with Brumbies teammate Nic White, while Hunter Paisami returns at inside centre. Len Ikitau wears the No.13 jersey.
Allan Alaalatoa will start at tighthead prop alongside hooker Folau Fainga’a and captain James Slipper, with Taniela Tupou, David Porecki and Scott Sio the finishers.
Matt Philip will start alongside Rory Arnold in the second row, while Rennie has the luxury of naming an unchanged back row for the third consecutive week with Jed Holloway to combine with Fraser McReight and Rob Valetini at No.8.
Noah Lolesio wears the No. 10 jersey this weekend.Credit:Getty
Darcy Swain, Rob Leota and Pete Samu round out the forward replacements on the bench.
“It’s great to have a number of experienced players back in the mix this weekend,” Rennie said.
“We understand that respect is earned daily and we get an opportunity to earn it against the current world champions on Saturday afternoon. It’s really motivating to be back at home in front of our supporters, especially in Adelaide, a place we haven’t played at in 18 years.”
Wallabies team to face South Africa
- James Slipper (c) (119 Tests)
- Folau Fainga’a (30 Tests)
- Allan Alaalatoa (56 Tests)
- Rory Arnold (30 Tests)
- Matt Philip (24 Tests)
- Jed Holloway (2 Tests)
- Fraser McReight (4 Tests)
- Rob Valetini (23 Tests)
- Nic White (52 Tests)
- Noah Lolesio (12 Tests)
- Marika Koroibete (47 Tests)
- Hunter Paisami (18 Tests)
- Len Ikitau (17 Tests)
- Tom Wright (14 Tests)
- Reece Hodge (57 Tests)
- David Porecki (3 Tests)
- Scott Sio (71 Tests)
- Taniela Tupou (42 Tests)
- Darcy Swain (13 Tests)
- Rob Leota (10 Tests)
- Pete Samu (24 Tests)
- Tate McDermott (17 Tests)
- Andrew Kellaway (14 Tests)
Watch every match of The Rugby Championship on the Home of Rugby, Stan Sport. Continues this Saturday with Wallabies v South Africa (Saturday 3pm AEST) and New Zealand v Argentina (Saturday 5:45pm AEST). All matches streaming ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
