Boks Overhaul Backline For All Blacks Rematch  

In a statement of intent, Erasmus announced his team on Monday after having waited until Thursday last weekend to reveal his team for the Eden Park clash, which the Boks lost 24-17.

The new-look backline will see Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu pair up at halfback, with Damian Willemse and Canan Moodie making up the midfield. Ethan Hooker will earn his first start in the No. 11 jersey, Cheslin Kolbe is on the other wing, and Aphelele Fassi comes in at fullback.

Siya Kolisi will captain the side and shifts back to his regular position at openside flank as Jasper Wiese returns from suspension to start at No. 8. The only other change to the pack is at lock, where Lood de Jager will pack down next to Ruan Nortje.

Erasmus has again gone with a traditional bench of five forwards and three backs. Notably absent is Handre Pollard, who had a rare off day at Eden Park last weekend, and Eben Etzebeth.

Marnus van der Merwe comes into the match-23 as the back-up hooker, with Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Wilco Louw the replacement props. RG Snyman and Kwagga Smith will provide further forward cover, while Grant Williams, Manie Libbok, and Andre Esterhuizen are the back-up backs.

The clash at Sky Stadium will decide which team claims the Freedom Cup and is a must-win for the Boks to keep their hopes of retaining the Rugby Championship title alive.

“This is an exciting team, which we believe will provide us with the forward power we require, and spark in the backline against a quality All Blacks side,” said Erasmus.

“We’ve maintained consistency in selection to a large degree in the last few matches, but apart from what we feel some of the players selected can add to our attack, we’d like to see what some of the players can do against the top-ranked team in the world.

“This is a vital match for our Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign, and we feel some fresh legs and energy are what we need to come away with the desired result.”

Erasmus added: “Every player in this squad knows we believe in them and back them, and this will serve as a great occasion for them to show us what they are capable of against a team such as the All Blacks.

“They have all done the job for us against some of the top teams in the world earlier this year, and others over the last few years, and we know they’ll relish this opportunity to face New Zealand in their backyard.

“Both teams will be up for the challenge this week after having to cope with heavy rain at times in Auckland, and after the disappointing performance we delivered in the opening stages of that match, we know we need to be much more effective in all departments this week and produce a performance both us and our supporters can be proud of.

“We need a top-class performance to ensure that we are in contention to win the Castle Lager Rugby Championship. We know where we went wrong last week and what we must fix, and we’ll leave no stone unturned to fix those errors. There’s no doubt that we have to deliver a proper 80-minute performance to do well, and we will give everything to achieve that.”

Fast facts:

• Should the Springboks win the match, they will retain the Freedom Cup against New Zealand, which they won for the first time last year since 2009.
• The last time the teams met at the Sky Stadium was in 2019, where they played to a 16-16 draw, with the Boks winning the previous encounter between the sides 36-34 at the stadium.
  Springbok flanker Siya Kolisi will play his 96th Test match, leaving him only four matches short of becoming the ninth Springbok centurion in the history of the game. He will lead South Africa for the 64th time.
• Jasper Wiese will return to the Springbok team for the first time since the team’s 45-0 victory against Italy in Gqeberha after serving a four-match suspension.
• The total Test caps in the Springbok starting line-up is 626. There are 173 caps in the backline, with 453 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 193 caps.
• The average caps per player in the backline is 25, the forwards 57, while the players on the bench average 24.

South Africa: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.

Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Andre Esterhuizen.