Springbok Team Named for Second All Blacks Test as Du Toit Reaches 100 Caps

Pieter-Steph du Toit will become the 11th player in Springbok history to earn 100 Test caps when South Africa face New Zealand in Cape Town on Saturday.

Prop Ox Nche will also reach a career milestone by earning his 50th cap in the second Test of the Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has retained a similar starting team to the side that faced the All Blacks in Johannesburg last weekend.

Du Toit will captain the team at DHL Stadium.

Siya Kolisi Bracketed With Paul de Villiers

Siya Kolisi has been bracketed with Paul de Villiers at flank while the Springbok coaching team monitors his progress during training.

If Kolisi completes training comfortably, he will join Du Toit and Jasper Wiese in the loose trio.

Should Kolisi start, the Springboks will field their most experienced starting team in history, with a combined 1,012 Test caps.

“Cheslin and Grant (Williams) suffered niggles last weekend, which ruled them out of contention for selection, while we have bracketed Siya alongside Paul to allow us time to monitor how Siya comes through training this week,” said Erasmus.

“The changes we made are in line with what we want to achieve on the field this week, and it is valuable that almost all of the players have been involved in the last two games, so they will be able to cope with the intensity and physicality of this match.”

Pollard and Reinach Form New Halfback Pairing

Handre Pollard and Cobus Reinach will start as the halfback combination.

Ethan Hooker replaces Cheslin Kolbe on the left wing after Kolbe suffered a niggle during the first Test.

Kurt-Lee Arendse moves from the left to the right wing, joining Hooker and fullback Damian Willemse in the back three.

Erasmus welcomed the different options available at flyhalf.

“Handre has delivered for us under extreme pressure, and we feel that what he and Cobus have the potential to bring at the beginning of the game, and then have Morne and Sacha come on later with their different styles of play will be good for us this weekend.”

Deon Fourie Returns to the Springbok Squad

Deon Fourie returns to the matchday squad at the age of 39.

His most recent Springbok appearance came during the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against the All Blacks.

Fourie joins Gerhard Steenekamp and Thomas du Toit as front-row cover.

Lood de Jager, Cameron Hanekom and Andre Esterhuizen provide the remaining forward cover.

Scrumhalf Morne van den Berg and utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are the two replacement backs.

Every player in the matchday squad apart from Fourie featured in one of the Springboks’ previous two Tests against Argentina and New Zealand.

Springboks Seek a Response in Cape Town

The Springboks enter the Cape Town Test seeking a response after their defeat to New Zealand in Johannesburg.

“One could see the hurt on everyone’s faces after Saturday’s match, and we know what we have to do to bounce back strongly this week. While we are fully aware of the challenging task ahead, we have regrouped and identified the areas of our game we need to fix, so we are ready and excited for the match in Cape Town.”

Erasmus Praises Du Toit and Nche

Du Toit made his Springbok debut against Wales in 2013. His 100th appearance follows Damian de Allende reaching the same milestone in Johannesburg last weekend.

Nche enters the match on 49 Test caps.

“Pieter-Steph and Ox have been pillars of strength for us on and off the field, and they both deserve these accolades,” said Erasmus.

“It is a remarkable achievement to play 100 Test matches, and for Pieter-Steph to deliver week in and week out the way he has over the years is incredible.

“We are equally proud of Ox for the player and team man he has grown into, and to see him reach 50 Test caps is fantastic. That said, as a team, our focus is completely on Saturday’s game, and so is theirs, so our main objective is to deliver on the field. If we can do that, hopefully we will make it a memorable day for them.”

Springboks Focus on Converting Opportunities

Erasmus expects another demanding Test against New Zealand.

The Bok coach said South Africa’s failure to convert opportunities proved costly in the opening match.

“There were a handful of positives and negatives last week, but the main thing that let us down was that we created so many chances, but mistakes at crucial times cost us,” said the Bok coach.

“We’ll put in a lot of work this week to ensure that we are sharp in that regard this weekend because if we had used even some of those chances, the result could have been completely different.

“That said, we know New Zealand will be charged up after winning last week, and they will want to build on that. But the key for us will be to focus on our game and ensure that we are as effective as possible all around.”

The match begins at 17:10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Springbok Team to Face the All Blacks

15 Damian Willemse, DHL Stormers
53 caps, 76 points, 8 tries, 9 conversions, 4 penalties, 2 drop goals

14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, Mitsubishi Dynaboars
33 caps, 125 points, 25 tries

13 Jesse Kriel, Canon Eagles
91 caps, 115 points, 23 tries

12 Damian de Allende, Wild Knights
100 caps, 55 points, 11 tries

11 Ethan Hooker, Hollywoodbets Sharks
10 caps, 10 points, 2 tries

10 Handre Pollard, Vodacom Bulls
87 caps, 832 points, 8 tries, 130 conversions, 175 penalties, 5 drop goals

9 Cobus Reinach, DHL Stormers
54 caps, 100 points, 20 tries

8 Jasper Wiese, Urayasu D-Rocks
46 caps, 20 points, 4 tries

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, captain, Toyota Verblitz
99 caps, 70 points, 14 tries

6 Siya Kolisi, DHL Stormers
104 caps, 70 points, 14 tries

Or Paul de Villiers, DHL Stormers
4 caps, 5 points, 1 try

5 Ruan Nortje, Kubota Spears
21 caps, 5 points, 1 try

4 Eben Etzebeth, Hollywoodbets Sharks
143 caps, 45 points, 9 tries

3 Wilco Louw, DHL Stormers
32 caps, 10 points, 2 tries

2 Malcolm Marx, Kubota Spears
90 caps, 135 points, 27 tries

1 Ox Nche, Hollywoodbets Sharks
49 caps, 0 points

Springbok Replacements

16 Deon Fourie, DHL Stormers
13 caps, 10 points, 2 tries

17 Gerhard Steenekamp, Vodacom Bulls
20 caps, 10 points, 2 tries

18 Thomas du Toit, Hollywoodbets Sharks
34 caps, 10 points, 2 tries

19 Lood de Jager, Wild Knights
74 caps, 25 points, 5 tries

20 Andre Esterhuizen, Hollywoodbets Sharks
32 caps, 30 points, 6 tries

21 Cameron Hanekom, Vodacom Bulls
3 caps, 5 points, 1 try

22 Morne van den Berg, 10bet Lions
7 caps, 25 points, 5 tries

23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, DHL Stormers
21 caps, 177 points, 9 tries, 45 conversions, 14 penalties

Springbok Record Against New Zealand

Played: 111

Won: 43

Lost: 64

Drawn: 4

Points scored: 1,866

Points conceded: 2,302

Tries scored: 182

Tries conceded: 253

Win percentage: 37.7%

Match Facts and Player Milestones

• Pieter-Steph du Toit will become the 11th Springbok to reach 100 Test caps.
• Du Toit made his Test debut against Wales in 2013.
• Damian de Allende earned his 100th Test cap last weekend.
• Ox Nche will play his 50th Test.
• Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok to 144 appearances.
• If he takes the field, Deon Fourie will become the oldest player to represent the Springboks in a Test at 39.
• Fourie will move past Victor Matfield and Schalk Brits, who were both 38 during their final Tests.
• Fourie’s previous Springbok appearance was the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, when South Africa defeated New Zealand 12-11.
• The Springboks last faced the All Blacks in Cape Town during the 2024 Castle Lager Rugby Championship, winning 18-12.
• The series marks New Zealand’s first traditional rugby tour to South Africa since 1996.
• South Africa have won five of the past seven Tests between the teams dating back to August 2023.

Read Inbound SA online