South Africa and New Zealand are set to face off in a Rugby Championship Test at Cape Town Stadium this Saturday, with both teams making several changes to their backlines.
Kick-off is scheduled for 17:00. The All Blacks need a victory to keep their title hopes alive after a narrow 31-27 defeat to the Springboks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg last Saturday. This loss marked their second defeat of the tournament, following a home loss to Argentina.
Capacity Crowd Expected
The Springboks, on the other hand, are on the verge of securing a fourth consecutive win, which would put them in prime position to claim the Rugby Championship title.
“There are games where you focus on building the team, and there are games you must win. Winning this game would be a huge step in the Rugby Championship,” said South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus. His selection includes the recall of Willie le Roux at fullback and Handre Pollard at fly-half.
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, despite suffering a broken nose last week, will lead the team. “Siya opted to play now and get it reset in two weeks,” Erasmus confirmed.
While the forward packs of both teams remain mostly unchanged, the reshuffled backlines add intrigue to what promises to be a high-paced match in front of a 60,000-strong crowd.
Despite impressive performances by young stars Aphelele Fassi and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu in Johannesburg, Erasmus has opted for the experience of World Cup winners Le Roux and Pollard.
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson has made a bold decision by dropping fullback Beauden Barrett, the team’s most capped player with 129 appearances, to the bench. Will Jordan moves from wing to fullback.
Wallace Sititi Set for First All Blacks Start
Both teams will field new scrumhalves, with Grant Williams starting for South Africa and Cortez Ratima replacing TJ Perenara for New Zealand.
South Africa’s “bomb squad” of replacements was pivotal in their first Test victory, and Robertson aims to counter that by introducing Barrett and Perenara from the bench for added experience and energy. “We’ve seen the importance of having experience at the end of games,” said Robertson. “It’s a great advantage to have players with so many caps coming off the bench.”
New Zealand’s Wallace Sititi will make his first start for the All Blacks, replacing the injured Ethan Blackadder. With Caleb Clarke sidelined, Sevu Reece and Mark Tele’a form a new-look back three alongside Jordan.
South Africa has also reshuffled their back three, with Le Roux teaming up with Canan Moodie, who replaces the injured Kurt-Lee Arendse, and Cheslin Kolbe, who shifts from right to left wing.
The All Blacks forwards matched the Springbok pack in the scrums last week and have only made one change, with 21-year-old Sititi replacing Blackadder.
For the Springboks, Eben Etzebeth returns to the starting lineup at lock, with Pieter-Steph du Toit shifting back to his usual position at flank.
The forward battle is expected to be fierce in this historic Springboks-All Blacks Test, which will be the first between the two nations at Cape Town Stadium, a venue originally built for soccer ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The stadium’s pitch, which was criticized during the 2021 British and Irish Lions series, has since been replaced with a hybrid surface of natural grass and artificial turf, holding up well in recent domestic matches.
