Erasmus releases du Toit and De Allende from Springboks squad ahead of Perth Wallabies Test

Rassie Erasmus has confirmed that Pieter-Steph du Toit and Damian de Allende have been released from the Springboks’ squad and flown home ahead of South Africa’s Test against Australia at Optus Stadium in Perth next weekend.

The two centurions started all four matches in South Africa’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series victory over the All Blacks, with both players reaching 100 caps during that run. Erasmus said the decision to send them home was straightforward, citing adequate cover in the squad and the pair’s need to spend time with their families after an extended campaign.

Du Toit has been one of South Africa’s most-used players in 2024, starting seven of their eight Tests as well as an uncapped fixture against the Barbarians. His only absence came against Argentina in Buenos Aires in August — a rest that followed a spell captaining the side in Siya Kolisi’s absence during the Nations Championship in July. De Allende has featured in six Tests this year, also missing the Argentina fixture as well as the July win over Scotland.

The Springboks flew directly from the United States to Sydney following their 43-28 victory over the All Blacks in Baltimore last week, which sealed the RGR series. Erasmus was clear that the momentum from that result carries no weight heading into Perth.

“This is a Test match against a country we’ve had a rivalry with since I can remember,” Erasmus said. “It’s not a tour we want to finish off casually. This is a great country, and the World Cup is being hosted here next year, so it’s massive to be able to play against the World Cup hosts in a big Test match. They’ll be really fresh and they’ve won four out of five of their recent matches, while we come off a tough series against New Zealand. But RGR and this match have nothing to do with each other. This is a completely different challenge.”

Kolisi echoed that focus, acknowledging the significance of the fixture despite the demands of a long tour. “It’s been a long journey, but it was a great success in the USA, and being here in Australia now and preparing for this game is really important,” the captain said. “It’s a team we’ve had some tough battles against, but training has been going well this week.”