Australia v South Africa: teams named for international Test at Optus Stadium on 27 September 2026

Australia and South Africa confirmed their squads for an international men’s rugby union Test at Optus Stadium on 27 September 2026, with Australia naming Ben Donaldson at fly-half and South Africa making widespread changes to their starting XV. The selections reflect injury-driven adjustments for the Wallabies and a rotation strategy from the Springboks following a recent four-match series with New Zealand.

Australia’s selection was shaped by the absence of Carter Gordon after he suffered a broken leg against the Pumas in the previous match, prompting Les Kiss to leave James O’Connor and Bernard Foley out of the run-on side in favour of Ben Donaldson. Kiss selected a bench without a specialist replacement five-eighth, choosing a 6-2 interchange split instead, and said: "Those younger guys, we’re trying to make sure we get them upskilled, [have] them understand how they can lead the game and drive it forward. Part of the thinking was ensuring that those guys can have a bit of blue sky and make sure they take the team and the game forward the way that we’d like to. And we know that we can always, always lean back into the experience if we need to." Donaldson will be invited to organise an increasingly settled and formidable looking squad.

There was one positional experiment in Australia’s starting XV with regular centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii moved to the wing. Josh Canham, who had been named among the starters, was withdrawn yesterday with a minor hamstring strain; Lukhan Salakaia-Loto replaces him at No 4 and Lachie Shaw has been added to the bench.

South Africa’s team selection followed a taxing four-match series against New Zealand that included a deciding contest in Baltimore just a fortnight ago, and Rassie Erasmus responded by naming what his staff termed a virtual second XV for this standalone fixture. The coach made 13 changes to the starting XV, resting several established internationals while giving opportunities to a fresh set of players for the match at Optus Stadium.

Among the high-profile South African players absent from the matchday squad and watching from home or from the Optus Stadium stands are Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel and Thomas du Toit. Erasmus explained his selection approach, saying: "We rolled the dice a little bit against the All Blacks by [selecting] consistently the same team. We obviously were getting some momentum as [the series went] on longer, but if we keep on doing that, how would we know when we get to the Nations Championship at the end of the year, or at the World Cup next year, what can the next guy do?"

Kiss’s and Erasmus’s comments underline contrasting selection priorities for the two coaches: Australia adapting to an enforced change at fly-half and experimenting with backline positions, and South Africa prioritising squad rotation after an intense series with New Zealand. The teams will meet in the Test at Optus Stadium, a fixture framed by the Wallabies’ injury-enforced reshuffle and the Springboks’ deliberate personnel changes ahead of later international competitions mentioned by Erasmus.