BRISBANE, Australia (AP) Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer and his Wallabies counterpart Ewen McKenzie are both expected to make changes to their starting lineups for Saturday's Rugby Championships clash.
South Africa hasn't beaten Australia in seven tests at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, formerly Lang Park, including in six meetings in the Tri-Nations tournament or Championships. Meyer played down that statistic on Monday but said he expected to freshen his starting lineup after a taxing travel schedule involving trips to Argentina and Australia.
The Springboks posted back-to-back wins over the Pumas, winning 73-13 in Pretoria and 22-17 in Mendoza, while the Wallabies lost both of their home and away matches against New Zealand.
"There will be a few changes, mostly due to rotational, and also we want to have the most fresh team as possible on the field," Meyer told reporters on Monday. "We've traveled a lot and we're going to play three away matches on the trot ... so it's important to have fresh guys."
Meyer indicated hooker Bismarck du Plessis would be promoted into the starting lineup, replacing Adrian Strauss and acting as vice-captain under skipper Jean de Villiers.