Nine changes have been made to Rassie Erasmus’s Springboks squad from their Rugby Championship round two victory over the Wallabies, which they will host against the All Blacks in Johannesburg on Saturday. On August 17, in Perth, South Africa defeated Australia 30–12 to win their second match of the competition.
Only Ruan Nortje and Pieter-Steph du Toit, the captain Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe, Ben-Jason Dixon, and Jasper Wiese are left in the forward position from the previous game. In 2024, Wiese will be making his Test debut. Erasmus has opted for a six-forward/two-back lineup on the bench, departing from the five-forward/three-back lineup selected in round two.
Compared to South Africa’s round one squad, the starting XV has only three changes: Willie le Roux, Eben Etzebeth, and the benched Elrigh Louw are not included. Due to lock injuries, Salmaan Moerat’s concussion, Etzebeth’s back problem, and other issues, Erasmus is using Nortje and du Toit in the second row, a new combination.
“We are pleased with the way Ruan stood his man in our last match and we are confident that he will combine well with Pieter-Steph at lock,” the player said, explaining that it is not ideal that they have so many injuries at lock. He will get a great chance to demonstrate his abilities against one of the top teams in the globe. News for The Daily Rugby
“Having a player of Jasper’s calibre returning is also encouraging. We know he will provide both attack and defence a lot of energy after giving his recovery some time, and we are excited to see his physicality in combination with the rest of the back row.
“We are eager to see what Aphelele has to offer against an All Black back line that is heavily focused on attack, and we also have a settled back line. Aphelele made a strong statement against the Wallabies in Perth.”
Springboks (vs All Blacks, Saturday)
15 – Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 6 caps, 15 points (3t)
14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) – 35 caps, 96 points (15t, 3c, 5p)
13 – Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 73 caps, 80 points (16t)
12 – Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 82 caps, 55 points (11t)
11 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 19 caps, 85 points (17t)
10 – Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 6 caps, 33 points (12c, 3p)
9 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 34 caps, 65 pts (13t)
8 – Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 27 caps, 5 pts (1t)
7 – Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers) – 3 caps, 5 points (1t)
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Racing 92) – 86 caps, 55 points (11t)
5 – Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 2 caps, 0 points
4 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 81 caps, 45 points (9t)
3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 73 caps, 5 points (1t)
2 – Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 72 caps, 70 points (14t)
1 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 33 caps, 0 pts
Replacements:
16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 69 caps, 95 points (19t)
17 – Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 4 caps, 0 points
18 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 54 caps, 0 points
19 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 22 caps, 10 pts (2t)
20 – Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 6 caps, 0 points
21 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 45 caps, 40 pts (8t)
22 – Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 13 caps, 10 points (2t)
23 – Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers) – 73 caps, 734 points (7t, 99c, 162p, 5dg)
