Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus has made several alterations to the team that succumbed to the All Blacks in the third round of the Rugby Championship.
South Africa’s head coach has decided to wield the axe following their disappointing defeat to their arch-rivals in Auckland, especially behind the scrum.
Only Cheslin Kolbe has remained in the same position in the backline on the right wing with Canan Moodie, who started on the left, being shifted to centre this weekend.
Mass changes
That means captain from that clash Jesse Kriel has been ousted from the team with Moodie partnering Damian Willemse, who has never played 12 at Test level, in a new-look midfield partnership.
Ethan Hooker takes Moodie’s former position on the left and Aphelele Fassi is at full-back to complete the back three.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Cobus Reinach are in the half-back slots after impressive cameos on Saturday, with Handre Pollard ousted from the 23 entirely.
“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,” Erasmus said.
“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.”
There are fewer changes among the forwards but the Boks boss has still decided to make some alterations, starting at number eight where Jasper Wiese returns following the end of his suspension.
He is joined by Pieter-Steph du Toit and Siya Kolisi, who moves from the base of the scrum, at flanker as Marco van Staden misses out.
There is also no Eben Etzebeth in the squad as Lood de Jager combines with Ruan Nortje in the engine room.
Only Springbok area to remain untouched
However, the starting front-row remains the same as Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Thomas du Toit line up together once again.
“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,” Erasmus said.
“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.”
On the bench, Erasmus has once again opted for a 5-3 split after being pleased with how it worked in Auckland, but there are some new players among the replacements.
Jan-Hendrik Wessels is one of those to remain but he is covering prop rather than hooker this weekend which means Marnus van der Merwe has been added to the 23.
RG Snyman, Manie Libbok and Andre Esterhuizen are the other individuals to come into the squad following the recent defeat.
Grant Williams has been dropped down to the bench, which means Wilco Louw and Kwagga Smith are the only players to reprise their bench roles from the 24-17 reversal.
“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.”
Springboks side to face the All Blacks
Springboks: 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 (c), 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
Date: Saturday, September 13
Venue: Sky Stadium, Wellington
Kick-off: 19:05 local (09:05 SAST, 08:05 BST, 07:05 GMT)
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (RA), Jordan Way (RA)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)
FPRO: Brett Cronan (RA)
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