NEW POSITION: Wallabies set to challenge Springboks’ air supremacy in Perth showdown

It’s a sign of how dominant the Springboks’ contestable kicking game has become that Australia coach Les Kiss has selected perhaps his best centre out of position at left wing to combat the world champions.

Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i has started 22 of his 24 previous Tests at centre, and his other two appearances were off the bench.

But he is a fine athlete and has been tasked with making a nuisance of himself on both sides of the ball to combat the aerial threat that the Boks will bring.

Bok wing Ethan Hooker was superb in the air in the recent Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks. That has not gone unnoticed by the Wallaby analysts although Sua’ali’i has been named as left wing where he will directly oppose Edwill van der Merwe and not Hooker.

With Max Jorgensen and Tom Wright completing the back three, the Wallabies have a formidable attacking trio while they look defensively more solid with Sua’ali’i in place to deal with the expected aerial assault.

And it won’t be a surprise if Sua’ali’i switches wings on defence to contest the high ball against Hooker.

With Sua’ali’s move to wing, the abrasive Hunter Paisami earns a recall to centre where he will partner the usually excellent Len Ikitau.

“The opportunity to look at this game came from probably three or four different angles,” Kiss said on moving Sua’ali’i to the wing.

“The aerial battle, he’s going to be big, he’s probably one of the best in the business. I think Hunter [Paisami] has been playing unbelievable footy and his class is there [to be seen], so it gave us an opportunity to look at that centre partnership again.”

Kiss has also loaded his bench with forwards in a 6-2 split, leaving scrumhalf Tate McDermott and utility back Harry Potter as backline reserves.

It is obvious Kiss knows his side will need parity up front if they are to stand any chance. And one glance at the Boks’ bench, which is stacked with class and power from Ox Nché, Malcolm Marx, Wilco Louw and Jasper Wiese to Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, shows Kiss is on to something.

In Sua’li’i and Jorgensen, among others, the Wallabies have the firepower to hurt the Boks, but as always it will require their forwards to produce a complete 80-minute performance for that to happen.

Experimental Boks

There is no doubt that Bok coach Rassie Erasmus has selected a slightly mix-and-match starting lineup as he looks to build depth and give players opportunities.

The loose trio is untested as a combination with Marco van Staden at No 8 and Paul de Villiers and Elrigh Louw on the flanks.

De Villiers has been a revelation since making his Test debut against England in July and will be tasked with leading the breakdown battle.

De Villiers is a No 6 in the mould of former Bok poacher Heinrich Brüssow or Wallaby great George Smith.

While the Bok backline has both pace and skill with the likes of Van der Merwe, Aphelele Fassi, Hooker and Canan Moodie all accomplished players, up front is where the match will be won and lost.

The return of Franco Mostert to lock will add a tirelessness to the Bok effort while second-row partner Eben Etzebeth just seems to improve with age.

It’s a big game for hooker Johan Grobbelaar too after being unused during the Greatest Rivalry series. Marx is the best hooker, and arguably the best player in the world right now, but the Boks have not apparently settled on a permanent understudy to the great man.

Up-and-coming prop Zack Porthen starts as does Jan-Hendrik Wessels at loosehead. The last time Wessels wore the No 1 jersey was against the Wallabies in Perth in August 2024. The Boks won 30-12 that day.

Up front

The Wallabies know the foundation of the Boks’ game – set piece strength, mauling and overall power – so what can they do to stop it?

“We know the scrum’s going to be a big part of the game, we know they’re going to maul,” Wallaby forwards’ coach Tom Donnelly said. “No matter who they pick, they’ve got probably two or three packs that are very, very classy.

“It’s all just a matter of focusing on ourselves, we know what we need to do to front up and go out there with a bit of an attacking mindset against them... we know what’s coming.

“If we can front up there physically and then be accurate with how we want to execute, then that will give us a chance to match up with them.”

Naturally, the Wallabies would have seen how the All Blacks scored 17 tries in four Tests against the Boks, primarily through quick passing, speed and width.

The Wallabies used a similar tactic themselves when they shocked the Boks by beating them 38-22 at Ellis Park in 2025.

That day the Boks raced into a 22-0 lead in as many minutes and looked unstoppable. But they fell apart as the Wallabies produced one of their greatest comebacks of all time.

Former flyhalf James O’Connor, who started that day, told the Sydney Morning Herald about how they found a way to fight back that day.

“I’m under the posts thinking, ‘They’ve come out firing,’ they really have, but also I feel they’re only playing off our mistakes and the mistakes they’ve made could have been line breaks and possibly tries for us,” O’Connor said.

“After the third try, I could feel I was starting to lose a few guys. But I knew I still had the Reds boys who trust me because we’ve had big comebacks with them before and other guys I’ve played with.

“One of my favourite films is Hook with Robin Williams,” O’Connor said. “In the film, there’s this great quote about finding a true and worthy opponent that kept going through my head.

“The greatest games you remember are when you play an opponent who is like equal, if not better than you, and you just go toe to toe with them.

“They’re ahead in the game, then you’re ahead in the game. You’re feeling each other out. It’s brutal, it’s physical, but also there’s a flow to it.

“It’s the beautiful game of rugby, the game you play in heaven. When you play a team that is a true and worthy opponent, and you come out on top, there’s absolutely no better feeling.”

The Boks have been warned. DM

Teams:

Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Ryan Lonergan, 8 Harry Wilson (captain), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Josh Canham, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Angus Bell.
Reserves: 16 Billy Pollard, 17 Aidan Ross, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Tom Hooper, 21 Carlo Tizzano, 22 Tate McDermott, 23 Harry Potter.

South Africa: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 André Esterhuizen (captain), 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Marco van Staden, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Zachary Porthen, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels
Reserves: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Ox Nché, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Jasper Wiese, 21 Morné van den Berg, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Quan Horn.

Date: Sunday, 27 September
Venue: Optus Stadium, Perth
Kick-off: 11.45 SAST

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)