FORMER CAPTAIN SAM Cane has been named in the All Blacks team to face South Africa in a crunch Rugby Championship match, while Scott Barrett returns from injury to skipper the visitors.
Cane was named at open-side flanker for the Test at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park on Saturday [4pm, Sky Sports Action], his first start for New Zealand since he was shown a red card in the World Cup final defeat to the Springboks last October.
“Sam has been incredible off the field for us. It’s an opportunity for him to be that Test veteran we need with that experience and calmness,” All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson told reporters.
The 32-year-old Cane replaces Dalton Papali’i, who is sidelined by a thumb injury.
Barrett will captain the All Blacks having missed the two recent home Tests against Argentina with a finger injury.
New Zealand won on their last visit to Ellis Park when fly-half Richie Mo’unga kicked 15 points to seal a 35-23 win in 2022.
“Ellis Park is an iconic ground, with the whole experience you want as many players as you can who have experienced it before,” Robertson said.
“There will be some tough moments out there. They know what it takes.”
South Africa and New Zealand will meet again in Cape Town on 7 September.
South Africa lead the championship table after back-to-back wins over the Wallabies in Australia.
New Zealand are second following a win and a defeat in their home Tests against Argentina.
South Africa have included fit-again Eben Etzebeth on the bench as a late call-up. The veteran lock had initially been left out of the matchday squad with a minor back injury.
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus says double World Cup winner Etzebeth has recovered fully and will provide cover off the bench at lock.
Flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit will start in the second row for South Africa due to an injury crisis in that position.
New Zealand
15. Beauden Barrett
14. Will Jordan
13. Rieko Ioane
12. Jordie Barrett (vice-captain)
11. Caleb Clarke
10. Damian McKenzie
9. TJ Perenara
1. Tamaiti Williams
2. Codie Taylor (vice-captain)
3. Tyrel Lomax
4. Scott Barrett (captain)
5. Tupou Vaa’i
6. Ethan Blackadder
7. Sam Cane
8. Ardie Savea (vice-captain)
Replacements:
16. Asafo Aumua
17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi
18. Fletcher Newell
19 .Sam Darry
20. Samipeni Finau
21. Cortez Ratima
22. Anton Lienert-Brown
23. Mark Tele’a
South Africa
15. Aphelele Fassi
14. Cheslin Kolbe
13. Jesse Kriel
12. Damian de Allende
11. Kurt-Lee Arendse
10. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
9. Cobus Reinach
1. Ox Nche
2. Bongi Mbonambi
3. Frans Malherbe
4. Pieter-Steph du Toit
5. Ruan Nortje
6. Siya Kolisi (captain)
7. Ben-Jason Dixon
8. Jasper Wiese
Replacements:
16. Malcolm Marx
17. Gerhard Steenekamp
18. Vincent Koch
19. Eben Etzebeth
20. Elrigh Louw
21. Kwagga Smith
22. Grant Williams
23. Handre Pollard
Sam Cane seems to play best when he has something to prove. After being absent in NZ against Ireland, he played some game in that qf. He’ll want to make up for that red card in the final… could be a big game for him
Is it me or does neither team look as strong as during WC? Definitely fancy a cracking at either of those. Amazing how a few injuries can change the whole fabric
@Noel Lynn: they’d love for us to get a crack at them in one off friendly matches. They use the games wisely to blood new players. We use the games to sell DVDs and make RTE documentaries.
@Andrew Smyth: good comment.
@Andrew Smyth: one off friendlies? 2 test series in SA. And a 3 game series against SA. Hardly one off. And those teams fielded against us were their strongest teams. The last SA team was their most capped ever.
@james joyce: 3 game series v NZ
@Andrew Smyth: When we beat new zealand it aint friendlies pretty great since took us over 100 years
@james joyce: triggered :)
@james joyce: either way there’s a new competition coming soon, so they’ll be less series/one off games.
@brian o’leary: ideally, the global season could be aligned better.
@Andrew Smyth: Totally agree, now we’ve hit certain markers it’s time to solely focus on improving our dire World Cup record. We’ve won Grand Slams, Six Nations, Southern Hemisphere tours, beaten both SA and NZ in their own back yard.
The only thing left to achieve in the game for us is to get further than a World Cup Quarter Final, or better win the damn thing.
@Caballo Blanco: 100% agree. This obsession with one/two meanlingless fixtures with a full squad consistently for the last 20 years makes us look weak. And the failures at the World Cups are proof of that weakness.
@Andrew Smyth: you haven’t a notion about rugby with a comment like that. Scurry back to where you came from.
@Cian O: so you’re telling me that not learning from the constant same mistake is not weak?
RJ injured again?
@Ger: Indeed , SA have 4 or 5 Second rows unavailable through injury, De Jager, Mostert, Snyman, Klein.