South Africa welcome Australia to St George's Park, Gqeberha, on 18th October with the Test series on the line.
A Matt Renshaw special at Durban - with scores of 190 and 82 - on a wicket that only witnessed one other half-century plus score - ensured a 214-run win for the visitors.
Aiden Markram's defiant 75 (237) alongside an exciting return for Anrich Nortje was the silver lining for Temba Bavuma's team, who will now welcome Kagiso Rabada back into the fold for the second Test.
Josh Hazlewood's career-best 6/49 and Pat Cummins' all-round performance with both bat and ball piloted Australia through.
The loss at Durban was remarkably Bavuma's first-ever loss as Test skipper, underpinning the value he and head coach Shukri Conrad have added to the WTC holders' red-ball fortunes.
The latest South Africa vs Australia Test match odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Wholesale changes for the hosts
Two days ahead of the first ball, Rabada and Nortje were seen bowling at full tilt to their compatriots. The former firms for a return in place of one of the spinners.
It would most likely mean Simon Harmer drops out and the Proteas deploy a four-man pace attack on a Gqeberha that has a tinge of live grass on the eve of the Test.
Despite an eye-catching 94 in India nearly a year ago, Tristan Stubbs has been released from the squad. Matthew Breetzke will join the playing XI in his place.
Kyle Verreynne could lose his spot after an array of lean scores, and a length batting spell in the nets for Marques Ackerman indicates a start.
Top order questions linger for Australia
"I think I went out there and thought. I just have to get bat on this, wherever it is, and luckily I was able to get a bit of a loosener first up from the big fella who was a bit tight and tried to get a bumper to loosen things up, which was a huge relief to me," Nic Maddinson said, as he breathed a sigh of relief after his pacy 48 off 38 in the second innings.
Maddinson’s technical flaws on a middle-and-off line were evident, and South Africa will know better than to feed either opener with width.
Travis Head's lean tour of South Africa continues, as does his record away from home. He is yet to score a century and averages 31.62 on his travels.
Getting the best out of him at number five has been one of Australian cricket's success stories in the ongoing era, but eight opening combinations since David Warner's retirement further accentuates the deep-lying conundrum in the top order.
This time, they'll be up against Rabada and Jansen as a fearsome new-ball opening pair.
Top Wicket Taker - South Africa, Innings 1: Kagiso Rabada
340 test wickets at a shade over 22. The World Test Championship final hero against this very opposition at Lord's last year.
Rabada's stocks have multiplied across all formats with tours gone by and he strikes at a staggering 36.6 in Tests over the last four years.
Recommended Bet: Top Wicket Taker - South Africa, Innings 1: Kagiso Rabada
Match Winner: South Africa
Conrad and co. have shored up their batting with the likes of Ackerman and Bedigham, who are first-class experts on home soil.
Their bowling unit is more complete as well, and they have won five of their last seven Test matches at this venue, including one versus Australia during their 2018 tour.
Expect them to improve, and throw more context into the series by restoring parity.
Recommended Bet: Match Winner: South Africa
