South Africa fans during the 2026 Rugbys Greatest Rivalry match against New Zealand at Cape Town Stadium where they leveled the series 1-1 as they look to gain advantage in Soweto on Saturday.
Image: BackpagePix
Rassie Erasmus has highlighted the importance to the Springboks of signing of their home matches for 2026 with a third Test victory over the All Blacks that will also mean they cannot lose the series.
“This is a very important series that we desperately want to win. We lost the first game, won the second and we thought continuity would be the best thing for one of the most important games in the series,” explained Erasmus.
“We can’t win (the series) this Saturday, but we can make sure that we won’t lose it, as the last Test would then be for either a draw or (outright series) win. So, we just feel this is the best team to achieve our goal this weekend.”
Next week the Greatest Rivalry tour controversially concludes in Baltimore in a money-spinner for both teams, meaning the match at the FNB Stadium near Soweto is the Boks’ last in the country this year.
“This is our last match on South African soil for 2026. We would love to give our supporters a victory.”
If that is to happen, the Boks have to sort their defence out. In the first and second Tests, the All Blacks have repeatedly caught the Boks napping out wide, where they always seem to have an unmarked player.
The Kiwis have nine tries to the four of the South Africans.
“They have been brilliant out wide. It’s something that under Dave Rennie they’re doing really well.
“Under their attack coach, they’re difficult to stop,” Erasmus said of Mike Blair, the former Scotland scrumhalf that Rennie has brought in.
“Two of their tries were lapses on defence by individuals. The other two, they outplayed us and outsmarted us, and we have to be ready for that.
“So it’s an area that we must get better in.”
“We had to work harder for our tries than they had to because they have one-on-one players who really just beat our guys with feet,” he said.
“Without a doubt, that’s something that we must fix.”
Erasmus has chosen a match 23 barely changed from the squad that won in Cape Town. Damian Willemse is replaced by Cheslin Kolbe at fullback and Kurt-Lee Arendse is in for Kolbe on the wing.
Not long before kick-off last week, Erasmus promoted his reserve front row of Gerhard Steenekamp, Deon Fourie and Thomas du Toit to the starting lineup, with Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw playing off the bench.
“We did it, it worked out. I see there has been a bit of an issue around that. But an hour before the match, when you give in your team sheet, if they are in your match 23 you can swap the whole bench and start the other guys if you want to,” said Erasmus.
“It is within the laws of the game. In all honesty, we thought it was going to be a really wet game and there is no doubt that heavier guys scrum better on heavier fields and lighter guys like hard fields.
“This weekend we are planning to stick with this starting team.”
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