JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Australia prop James Slipper and winger Dylan Pietsch were ruled out of the second Rugby Championship test against South Africa in a double blow to the Wallabies' hopes on Sunday.
Slipper reported concussion symptoms after the shock 38-22 win over the Springboks on Saturday in Johannesburg and failed a head injury check.
Pietsch broke his jaw in a first-half tackle, not long after scoring Australia's first try.
They returned home alongside flyhalf Ben Donaldson, whose adductor strain made him unavailable for the first test.
Utility back Hamish Stewart has joined the Wallabies in Johannesburg, and winger Filipo Daugunu and prop Rhys van Nek will catch up with the squad in Cape Town, site of the second test on Saturday.
No. 8 and captain Harry Wilson was forced from the field after a knee injury but Rugby Australia said he was walking more comfortably and staying in the republic.
The injury to Slipper, the Wallabies' most capped player, means Aidan Ross could make his test debut for Australia three years after his sole test for New Zealand. Tom Robertson was another loosehead option.
Andrew Kellaway is expected to replace Pietsch in the No. 11 jersey, but the uncapped Corey Toole will vie with Daugunu and Josh Flook as cover.
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
Australia's Dylan Pietsch dives over the line to score a try during a rugby championship test match between South Africa and Australia, at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Frans Lombard)
NÜRBURG, Germany (AP) — Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen's chances of victory in his 24-hour racing debut at the famed Nürburgring track have been ended by an apparent mechanical issue with his car.
Verstappen had been leading Sunday morning by over half a minute, sharing a Mercedes AMG GT3 car with experienced sportscar racers Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella.
Juncadella had just taken over from Verstappen when he had to slow down with an issue affecting the rear-right of the car and lost the lead before pulling into the pit lane. The car had not returned from the garage after an hour.
Coming a week before F1 returns at the Canadian Grand Prix, the Nürburgring race was a “bucket list” project for Verstappen. He's a keen racing fan and has questioned his future in F1 this year because he's unhappy with the 2026 cars' reliance on electrical power.
Verstappen made an immediate impact in his first stint Saturday evening with a fast, aggressive style typical of his driving in F1, going from 10th to the lead with a series of overtakes. At one point, he lost grip over a bump and ran wide onto the grass, narrowly missing the barrier and he was later in a close battle for the lead overnight.
Verstappen was familiar with the Nürburgring after taking part in a series of shorter races in recent months to add to his years of virtual experience from realistic online simulator races.
It was still a challenge unlike anything in F1.
With 161 cars spread out along a 15.8-mile circuit, Verstappen had to weave past much slower cars and deal with constantly changing weather conditions on a hilly track where it can be raining hard at one point and dry at another.
It was also his first real test of night-time endurance racing without the huge floodlights that F1 uses to light up the track.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Max Verstappen stands in his pit before the start of a pit stop and observes the work during the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)
The pit crew works on Max Verstappen's Mercedes AMG GT3 car during the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)
Daniel Juncadella, right, helps his teammate Max Verstappen to get into the car during a pit stop the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)
Max Verstappen, driving the Red Bull Mercedes AMG GT3, flashes his his headlights as he demands a clear path from a slower vehicle during the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Saturday May 16, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)
The pit crew works on the leading Max Verstappen's Mercedes AMG GT3 car, right, as it completes a pit stop at the same time as the second-placed Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL with Germany's Maro Engel, Germany's Luca Stolz, Germany's Fabian Schiller and Germany's Maxime Martin, during the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)
