Etzebeth, Kolisi back as Erasmus sticks with Kriel as Bok captain for All Blacks clash

Rassie Erasmus stuck to his tried and tested combinations for the Springboks’ Rugby Championship encounter against the All Blacks at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday.

The Springbok coach made only four changes to the starting team that beat the Wallabies in Cape Town, with Jesse Kriel retaining the captaincy.

The changes see the return of SA’s most experienced player, Eben Etzebeth, to the starting XV in the engine room alongside Ruan Nortjé, in what will mark his 136th Test.

The other two changes are in the loose trio, where Siya Kolisi returns from a niggle in his second Test at No 8, while Pieter-Steph du Toit returns at flanker.

The only change in the backline is at fullback, where Willie le Roux will start his 101st Test after being forced to withdraw from the most recent clash against the Wallabies due to a niggle.

Erasmus made three personnel changes to the replacements bench, which features five forwards and three backs. Jan-Hendrik Wessels takes over from Marnus van der Merwe at hooker, Kwagga Smith moves back to the bench in the void left by Etzebeth and utility back Ethan Hooker features in his second Test in place of André Esterhuizen.

The squad includes 17 players who featured against the Wallabies in Cape Town.

“We selected the best possible team we could for the match, knowing this is going to be an epic encounter against the All Blacks at Eden Park, and many of these players have done the job for us before against them,” Erasmus said.

“This is going to be a completely different challenge to what we’ve faced against them in the past two years, with the match being hosted in New Zealand, and also at a venue where they hold a fantastic record.

“We’ve been working hard on the details we wanted to iron out after the matches against the Wallabies since arriving in Auckland, so it’s now up to us to implement our plans and deliver a performance we can be proud of.”

With the Test holding vast significance as the Springboks attempt to register their fifth consecutive victory against the All Blacks and break their hoodoo at Eden Park — where they last won in 1937 — Erasmus admitted this match was momentous for both teams.

“The history and rivalry between the sides speaks for itself and with all the permutations attached to this match, it makes it particularly noteworthy, so we are expecting it to be a proper grind. 

“There are records on the line for both teams and there’s no doubt this game will be important in trying to win the competition, especially given how close the standings are at this stage. It’s definitely going to be a special match and both teams will give everything they have out there.” 

Adding to the significance of the encounter, All Blacks loose forward Ardie Savea will be playing in his 100th Test. Erasmus had no doubt it would fuel New Zealand’s motivation.

On the decision to hand the captaincy to Kriel rather than regular skipper Kolisi, Erasmus said: “Siya was touch-and-go for the match earlier in the week after picking up a niggle a few weeks ago and we didn’t want to risk him unnecessarily, but with Jean-Luc du Preez having picked up a niggle at training this week Siya was the obvious choice to slot in at No 8. 

“At that stage, Jesse had already been told he would be the captain, and it was only fair for us to keep things that way.

The match kicks off at 9.05 am SA time.

Springbok squad:

Willie le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel (capt), Damian de Allende, Canan Moodie, Handré Pollard, Grant Williams, Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortjé, Eben Etzebeth, Thomas du Toit, Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche. Replacements: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Boan Venter, Wilco Louw, Lood de Jager, Kwagga Smith, Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker.

SA Rugby media