SOUTH AFRICA HEAD coach Rassie Erasmus has made four predictable changes to the team that started a victory over New Zealand last weekend for the third Test on Saturday.
Fullback Damian Willemse has been ruled out by a hamstring injury that forced him to retire at half-time in the 33-26 victory in Cape Town that levelled the four-match series at 1-1.
Cheslin Kolbe, who kicked 18 points in the 33-26 second Test triumph, switches from the right wing to replace Willemse and Kurt-Lee Arendse takes over the No.14 shirt.
The starting front row last weekend — loosehead prop Gerhard Steenekamp, 39-year-old hooker Deon Fourie and tighthead prop Thomas du Toit — will begin the third Test on the bench.
In their places come Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw, who were chosen to start in Cape Town only to be told one hour before the kick-off they would begin the Test as substitutes.
Erasmus said a change in the matchday weather from wet to dry conditions triggered the last-minute reshuffle.
“We started with the ‘reserve’ front row because they were lighter. Had it been wet we would have stuck with the original line-up,” he told reporters.
New Zealand won the first Test because they were more clinical than South Africa inside the ’22′. The Springboks reversed that pattern in Cape Town.
“We know how it felt (losing) after the first match in Johannesburg, and such a result really galvanises a team,” said Erasmus.
“So, we have no doubt that they (New Zealand) will go full-out to win this Test before the series finale in the USA next week.
“They are one of the two best teams in the world and, based on experience, they never give up, as we saw last weekend. This will undoubtedly be another epic encounter.”
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The first Test in Johannesburg was staged at Ellis Park. This weekend it will be the turn of Soccer City near Soweto, the national football stadium which can accommodate 92,000 spectators.
South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus. (Pic: Alamy/Themba Hadebe) Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
View from The 42: Springboks’ scrum likely to dominate pre-match analysis
The All Blacks won’t take this team selection as a given in light of Erasmus’ late changes last week, the Springboks boss tinkering with his team throughout the week, eventually totalling five changes come kick-off in Cape Town.
This latest Springboks ploy hasn’t sat well with some, but all that matters to Erasmus is that he got the response he wanted after the first Test loss in Johannesburg.
The Boks had the fire back in their bellies in Cape Town, and have the momentum heading into the crucial third Test. With the fourth and final game to be played in Baltimore, many will see this weekend’s encounter as the true decider.
Expect a similarly direct, powerful approach in Johannesburg on Saturday, and a major focus on the South Africa scrum, which could be the issue that dominates the build-up.
Dave Rennie feels the Boks’ scrum is illegally “walking around” and pushing straight to gain an advantage.
Erasmus’ response? “We’re not f**king walking around. We scrum through.”
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Springboks switch Kolbe to fullback for third All Blacks Test
SOUTH AFRICA HEAD coach Rassie Erasmus has made four predictable changes to the team that started a victory over New Zealand last weekend for the third Test on Saturday.
Fullback Damian Willemse has been ruled out by a hamstring injury that forced him to retire at half-time in the 33-26 victory in Cape Town that levelled the four-match series at 1-1.
Cheslin Kolbe, who kicked 18 points in the 33-26 second Test triumph, switches from the right wing to replace Willemse and Kurt-Lee Arendse takes over the No.14 shirt.
The starting front row last weekend — loosehead prop Gerhard Steenekamp, 39-year-old hooker Deon Fourie and tighthead prop Thomas du Toit — will begin the third Test on the bench.
In their places come Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw, who were chosen to start in Cape Town only to be told one hour before the kick-off they would begin the Test as substitutes.
Erasmus said a change in the matchday weather from wet to dry conditions triggered the last-minute reshuffle.
“We started with the ‘reserve’ front row because they were lighter. Had it been wet we would have stuck with the original line-up,” he told reporters.
New Zealand won the first Test because they were more clinical than South Africa inside the ’22′. The Springboks reversed that pattern in Cape Town.
“We know how it felt (losing) after the first match in Johannesburg, and such a result really galvanises a team,” said Erasmus.
“So, we have no doubt that they (New Zealand) will go full-out to win this Test before the series finale in the USA next week.
“They are one of the two best teams in the world and, based on experience, they never give up, as we saw last weekend. This will undoubtedly be another epic encounter.”
The first Test in Johannesburg was staged at Ellis Park. This weekend it will be the turn of Soccer City near Soweto, the national football stadium which can accommodate 92,000 spectators.
View from The 42: Springboks’ scrum likely to dominate pre-match analysis
The All Blacks won’t take this team selection as a given in light of Erasmus’ late changes last week, the Springboks boss tinkering with his team throughout the week, eventually totalling five changes come kick-off in Cape Town.
This latest Springboks ploy hasn’t sat well with some, but all that matters to Erasmus is that he got the response he wanted after the first Test loss in Johannesburg.
The Boks had the fire back in their bellies in Cape Town, and have the momentum heading into the crucial third Test. With the fourth and final game to be played in Baltimore, many will see this weekend’s encounter as the true decider.
Expect a similarly direct, powerful approach in Johannesburg on Saturday, and a major focus on the South Africa scrum, which could be the issue that dominates the build-up.
Dave Rennie feels the Boks’ scrum is illegally “walking around” and pushing straight to gain an advantage.
Erasmus’ response? “We’re not f**king walking around. We scrum through.”
– Ciarán Kennedy
South Africa
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– © AFP 2026
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