Teboho Mohoje will continue a fairy-tale first senior season this Saturday by making his run-on debut for South Africa in the Rugby Championship Test against Australia.
The 24-year-old blindside flank replaces injured Francois Louw in one of two changes to the team that started in a 14-10 defeat by New Zealand this month.
In another injury-enforced change announced Wednesday, scrum-half Francois Hougaard takes over from Ruan Pienaar for the game at Newlands stadium in Cape Town.
There are four bench alterations with Schalk Burger, Bakkies Botha, Cobus Reinach and JP Pietersen coming in for Warren Whiteley, Lood de Jager, Hougaard and Damian de Allende.
Mohoje will make his first start for the Springboks after coming on as a replacement in a mid-year rout of Scotland in Port Elizabeth.
Despite impressing, he did not get any game-time in the four previous Championship matches this season against Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.
The big ball-carrier was unknown when the South African season kicked off last February only to be called up by injury-ravaged Super 15 outfit Central Cheetahs.
His line-out, tight and loose play caught the eye of Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer and he has been part of the national squad since June.
“Teboho has come on in leaps and bounds this season and responded to the goals set for him,” Meyer said after the team was named.
A black African, Mohoje gets his chance at a time of increased government pressure on rugby to field teams more representative of the South African population.
Although 80 percent of South Africans are black Africans, prop Tendai Mtawarira has been their lone representative in many Springboks starting line-ups.
While wings Cornal Hendricks and Bryan Habana are called blacks abroad, in South Africa they are ‘Coloureds’ (mixed race).
Meyer said tactics dictated the four bench changes.
“We felt cool, experienced heads were needed late in the game and that is where Schalk, Bakkies and JP will play vital roles.”
Defending champions New Zealand top the table with 16 points, South Africa and Australia have 10 each and Argentina three with two rounds left.
Team (15-1)
Willie le Roux; Cornal Hendricks, Jan Serfontein, Jean de Villiers (capt), Bryan Habana; Handre Pollard, Francois Hougaard; Duane Vermeulen, Teboho Mohoje, Marcell Coetzee; Victor Matfield, Eben Etzebeth; Jannie du Plessis, Adriaan Strauss, Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: Bismarck du Plessis, Trevor Nyakane, Marcel van der Merwe, Bakkies Botha, Schalk Burger, Cobus Reinach, Patrick Lambie, JP Pietersen
Coach: Heyneke Meyer