Porthen: New-look Springbok team ‘hungrier than you think’
· Citizen
Several Springboks returning to the matchday 23 to face the Wallabies in Sunday’s one-off Test are highly motivated to prove their mettle again, said Zach Porthen.
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The young prop was one of 13 new players added to the starting XV for Perth (kick-off 11.45am) after a largely unchanged Springbok team won the last three Tests against the All Blacks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
That culminated in Baltimore two weeks ago, which South Africa won 43-28 to secure a 3-1 series triumph. Only nine players in the match-23 for Perth remain from that game.
Eight form part of the starting XV who didn’t play in any of the four Tests against New Zealand: Aphelele Fassi, Canan Moodie, Edwill van der Merwe, Elrigh Louw, Franco Mostert, Handré Pollard, Herschel Jantjies, and Johan Grobbelaar.
The bench is otherwise packed with experience, with only two-cap Quan Horn the non-regular player.
Porthen happy for Esterhuizen
Rassie Erasmus also named André Esterhuizen as his new captain – South Africa’s 68th Test captain.
“I am very happy for him [Esterhuizen]. He’s done a lot of good work at the Sharks,” Porthen said, referring to the centre being given the captaincy role when JP Pietersen took over from John Plumtree as head coach last season, even though the Sharks finished 10th on the United Rugby Championship table and didn’t win a single match in Europe.
Porthen said Esterhuizen will have plenty of support from senior players around him, such as Eben Etzebeth and Pollard, who have previously captained the team.
“It doesn’t change the fact that Eben will say something when something is wrong. Franco [Mostert] will say something when he feels a certain aspect of our game needs to be adapted.
“He’s definitely the right person, but what helps him, and what is great for the team, is having those other leaders around.”
Springboks out to prove a point
Porthen said the Springboks were still motivated coming from the first proper series between South Africa and New Zealand in 30 years.
It was an iconic series, with all four Tests almost sold out and the four clashes between the All Blacks and South Africa’s URC franchises also well attended.
“First things first, this is Test rugby. To each player it means a lot for the country,” said Porthen, who only played about 20 minutes off the bench in the first Test against the All Blacks.
“That in itself is enough to get you up for any game. We’ve had two weeks to get used to Australia. But a lot of the boys here, since there have been so many changes in the line-up, are actually hungrier than you think.
“[They want to] get back onto the field to prove themselves and show what this means for them.”