Rassie Erasmus made only one personnel change to the Springboks’ match 23 to face the All Blacks in the third Test of the Greatest Rivalry series at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Cheslin Kolbe will move to fullback for the injured Damian Willemse with Kurt-Lee Arendse moving back to wing for the crucial third Test of the Greatest Rivalry series in Soweto on Saturday.
Willemse sustained a hamstring injury shortly before half-time during the second Test at DHL Stadium, which the Springboks won 33-26, and didn’t return for the second half.
It will be only the second time, in his 53rd Test, that Kolbe starts at fullback, having played in the position against Japan at Wembley in 2025. On that occasion the Boks won 61-7.
But that was a completely different opponent in vastly different circumstances compared with what is coming at the 94,000-seater FNB Stadium at the weekend.
Arendse missed the second Test with concussion but has come through his protocols and will play with Ethan Hooker completing an exciting back three.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu keeps the flyhalf jersey with Handré Pollard unfit for selection, while the rest of the team is as it was last weekend.
Although there are officially four Tests in the series, this one feels like a decider as it’s the last on South African soil before the teams head to Baltimore for the so-called “money game”.
After the All Blacks won the opening Test of the series 33-16 at Ellis Park, there is no doubt each camp believes the “moral” series victory will be the team that wins twice in South Africa.
Kolbe has been a revelation with the boot during the series, landing 11 out of 11 kicks at goal and scoring 29 points so far.
Of course, cynics might say this is only the first draft of Erasmus’ team, after he made multiple late changes in the days and even an hour before kick-off last weekend.
With a forecast for rain in Johannesburg on the weekend, the Boks would want to start with immense power up front, which the named front gives them.
But Erasmus hinted that changes might come due to the 65% chance of rain predicted.
“We’ve had the most beautiful weather for 13 weeks in Johannesburg and now there is a chance for rain. And that does change the game and approach,” Erasmus said. “It makes handling tougher, it makes box kicking tougher, it makes players who want to strip the ball more effective and scrummaging is a little bit more difficult with a lighter pack.
“Daan [Human – scrum coach] tells me the ‘lighter’ pack struggles a bit more in the wet. I hope it doesn’t rain on Saturday. “If it’s clear and dry this will be the team that’s starting, but if it rains we might make a change or two.”
Erasmus was aware of some of the criticism he has received for the late changes to his front row before the second Test. It didn’t help that loosehead Ox Nché, playing his 50th Test in Cape Town, had the milestone number embroidered on the No 17 jersey after he’d been advertised to start in the No 1 jersey.
It did suggest the decision had been made much earlier than one hour before kick-off, although it’s possible two jerseys were embroidered for the occasion – just in case.
“The team sheet is only officially signed an hour before the game, so you can swap the entire team if you want to,” Erasmus said.
While the Boks have “lost” the second half in each of the first two Tests there have been mitigating factors. Two yellow cards in the first Test during a mounting penalty count were decisive.
In the second Test the Boks only conceded their second penalty in the match in the 62nd minute, and another four followed in quick succession.
Lood de Jager was also yellow-carded for a high tackle, which was a little unlucky considering some of the high tackles from the All Blacks that went unpunished earlier in the game.
But Erasmus has been consistent in his messaging that the series would always come down to the third [and fourth] Tests, and he feels his team is in a better position, having played fewer minutes than the All Blacks over the past six weeks.
“I’m very aware of the fact [that the All Blacks have scored more points in the final quarter], but we’ve managed our players’ workloads,” Erasmus said. “I look at it in six-week blocs and how many minutes the New Zealand players have played over the last six weeks. I look at the minutes we played over the last six weeks, and we are probably per man 60 minutes fewer than them, so hopefully being punch-drunk wouldn’t come into this game.
“It was always our plan to have a little more continuity in player combinations for this series, and we thought that the players who did the job for us last week really showed composure and did well to stick to the plan and what we wanted to achieve,” said Erasmus.
“Unfortunately, Damian Willemse took a knock in the first half and was not available for selection this weekend, and neither was Handré Pollard, and by sticking to these combinations and making one switch with Cheslin at fullback, we thought it would be the best for this match.
“Kurt-Lee was unlucky not to play last week after Cheslin recovered from his niggle, so we are pleased to see him back. He is a quality player and his 25 tries in 33 matches so far shows the type of player he is.” DM
** South Africa for third Test**
15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.
Reserves: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Manie Libbok.
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