James O’Connor will make his first Test appearance since 2022 after being named in the Wallabies squad to take on the Springboks in the Rugby Championship opener.
The 35-year-old has selected to start Saturday’s Test in Johannesburg and will feature at fly-half, and will likely be tasked with playing the whole 80 minutes.
O’Connor is the only out-and-out number 10 in the squad, with Ben Donaldson suffering an injury in training on Thursday to rule him out of the clash.
Nic White will therefore provide cover at pivot should his playmaking team-mate go down injured and will also be the back-up goal-kicker.
That is the biggest surprise in Joe Schmidt’s 23 with the rest of the backline unchanged from the one that impressively defeated the British and Irish Lions in Sydney.
Len Ikitau and Joseph Suaalii continue at centre while Tom Wright, Max Jorgensen and Dylan Pietsch once again combine in the Wallabies back three.
No changes to the pack
Up front, they have not made any alterations as Harry Wilson captains from number eight and he is joined in the loose trio by Fraser McReight and Tom Hooper.
Will Skelton continues at lock and he combines with Nick Frost in a well-balanced engine room as they look to combat the Springboks’ lineout and maul.
It is also a big job for the front-row of Taniela Tupou, Billy Pollard and James Slipper, who will have the difficult challenge of negating South Africa’s scrummaging threat in the Rugby Championship clash.
With the set-piece and physical battle absolutely crucial, the Wallabies have gone for a 6-2 split on the bench, with Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Angus Bell, Zane Nonggorr, Jeremy Williams, Langi Gleeson and Nick Champion de Crespigny the forward replacements.
Rob Valetini has not recovered in time from his injury to take his place in the squad, while Donaldson’s absence means there is no reserve fly-half.
Andrew Kellaway, who can play either full-back or wing, is in the 23 shirt with Tate McDermott the only other back on the bench.
They could therefore force the Boks, who have gone for a 5-3 split this weekend, into making a late change. Head coach Rassie Erasmus suggested that they may alter their tactics after Australia’s team announcement and go with a 6-2 should Schmidt opt for a forward-heavy set of replacements.
“The group has had a good week of preparation, adjusting pretty well to the time zone and the altitude well here in Johannesburg,” the Wallabies head coach said.
“There’s not many bigger Tests than playing South Africa on their home turf and we know we’re going to need to be at our best on Saturday night.”
Wallabies team to face the Springboks
Wallabies: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 James O’Connor, 9 Nic White, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Billy Pollard, 1 James Slipper
Replacements: 16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Nick Champion de Crespigny, 22 Tate McDermott, 23 Andrew Kellaway
Date: Saturday, August 16
Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 17:10 local (16:10 BST, 15:10 GMT)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR)
Assistant referees: James Doleman (NZR), Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
TMO: Tual Trainini (FFR)
FPRO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
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