Wallabies prop Zane Nonggorr says they’ll be lifting the standard as they look to neutralise a settled and potent Springbok forward pack.

SPECULATION: Wallabies back O’Connor for Bok clash

The Wallabies are braced for a full-scale forward battle in Johannesburg on Saturday, with Nonggorr stressing the need for quality and consistency across the squad to match the world champions.

Rassie Erasmus has named a powerful pack of forwards which features captain Siya Kolisi at No 8 for the first time in Test match rugby, while Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw provide plenty of brawn in the front row.

“They’ve been a very good set-piece, a very good starting pack and a very good bench pack. Our challenge is having a match set and making sure that quality is across our starters, our bench, even the boys not playing. It’s the quality that we train that is uniform across the board.”

Len’s double secured a famous win back in 2021 against the Boks ⚡️

NEXT MATCH
🆚 Springboks
🗓️ Sunday August 17 | 1:10am AEST
🏟️ Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
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— Wallabies (@wallabies) August 13, 2025

Fresh off a confidence-boosting series win over the British & Irish Lions, the Australians are looking to carry their form into the Rugby Championship, but Nonggorr knows the Highveld presents a different challenge altogether.

“Obviously we’re very proud of that [Lions] win that we got, but I think we know that’s now behind us,” the tighthead told reporters. “We have a very big challenge coming up. Our focus really is to just keep building and getting stronger.”

Nonggorr, who debuted for the Wallabies in Pretoria in 2023, is under no illusions about the altitude, the Ellis Park atmosphere, or the Springboks’ physical edge.

“Everyone in South Africa is very passionate about rugby. We know there’ll be a lot of fans cheering for the South Africans, but hopefully we’ll be able to put on a show that makes our fans back home proud.”

MORE: Kolisi’s new role at No 8 key to Bok strategy

With new forwards coach Tom Donnelly and hooker Josh Nasser joining the mix, competition for places has lifted training intensity – a factor Nonggorr believes is crucial if they are to withstand the Boks’ 80-minute onslaught.

Photo: Janelle St Pierre/Getty Images