Springboks star Eben Etzebeth has missed out amidst a lock crisis as South Africa’s coach Rassie Erasmus announced nine changes to face the All Blacks on Sunday (AEST).
Jsper Wiese makes his first appearances of the season after returning from suspension while Pieter-Steph du Toit and Ruan Nortje will combine in the second row as a result of injuries to six other locks.
There are three three changes to the match day squad that opened the series with a 33-7 victory in Brisbane – and two of those were forced by injuries to locks.
Etzebeth (back) and Salmaan Moerat (concussion) miss out from the Brisbane combination while Aphelele Fassi gets the fullback’s jersey in succession to Willie le Roux in the only other change. The other locks unavailable for selection are RG Snyman (foot), Franco Mostert (broken leg), Lood de Jager (shoulder) and Jean Kleyn (eye and knee).
Eben Etzebeth. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
“It’s not ideal that we have so many injuries at lock, but we are pleased with the way Ruan stood his man in our last match and we are confident that he’ll combine well with Pieter-Steph at lock,” said Erasmus in a statement.
“This will serve as a fantastic opportunity for him to prove what he can do against one of the best teams in the world.
“It’s also good to have a player of Jasper’s calibre back and we know that he’ll bring a lot of energy on attack and defence after biding his time to return to the field, and we are looking forward to seeing his physicality combined with the rest of the back row.
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“We also have a settled backline, and Aphelele made a strong statement against the Wallabies in Perth, so we are excited to see what they have to offer against a heavily attack-orientated All Black backline.
“We’ve seen what most of these players can do under pressure in Australia, and we’re confident that they’ll want to build on that against the All Blacks.”
The pack shows six changes to the starting line-up that beat the Wallabies in in Perth with a new front row of Ox Nche and the recall of the rested Frans Malherbe and hooker Bongi Mbonambi.
Rassie Erasmus, Coach of South Africa, looks on prior to the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Quarter Final match between France and South Africa at Stade de France on October 15, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Justin Setterfield – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
Du Toit moves from the side of the scrum to partner Nortje while Wiese is joined in the back row by Bok captain Siya Kolisi and Ben-Jason Dixon, who has recovered from a knee injury that ruled him out of the Perth Test.
Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will be at 9 and 10 while Erasmus recalled Damian de Allende to partner Jesse Kriel at centre, with Kurt-Lee Arendse also back in the team, linking up with Cheslin Kolbe and Fassi in the back three.
Erasmus’ bench – which features a split of six forwards and two backs – will see Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp and Vincent Koch in the replacement front row, while Elrigh Louw, Marco van Staden and the energetic Kwagga Smith will offer the team solid loose forward cover options.
The two backline players on the bench are Grant Williams and Handre Pollard.
The squad features 12 players who appeared in the Rugby World Cup final win against New Zealand at the Stade de France in Paris in October.
Erasmus said he expected the lock injury situation would ease for game two against the All Blacks.
“Eben may have been ready to play this week if we really needed him, but we feel we will benefit more from selecting a player that is 100% fit, and Salmaan should also be back in selection frame next week after following the return to play protocols,” Erasmus said.
“We’re happy that things will ease significantly for us in that department going into the second Test.”
Erasmus said he expected a physical approach from the All Blacks who have won three of their previous three games at Ellis Park.
“We’ve no doubt they’ll come out guns blazing,” he said. “They’ll want to build winning momentum after bouncing back against Argentina following their disappointing opening game, and the rivalry between the Boks and All Blacks will motivate them even more.
“There is also no doubt they’ll still be hurting from the Rugby World Cup final, and in addition to that they know how important a win will be to square things up and open up the Rugby Championship log.
“They’re a quality team with several players who have an X-factor and they constantly pose a threat to our defence, so we have to start well and be on the top of our game in all departments to try to build on what we have done in the competition so far.
“We’re under no illusions that this will be a completely different challenge to that which Australia posed, and that the next two Tests will require a proper step-up from us, but we are excited to see if we can take our game to the next level and give ourselves the best possible chance to stake a claim for the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019.
“So, we’ll give our best and hopefully that will place us on the correct side of the scoreboard.”
Springboks (1-15): Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Rua Nortje, Siya Kolisi, Ben-Jason Dixon, Jasper Wiese, Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe, Aphelele Fassi.
Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, Marco van Staden, Elrigh Louw, Kwagga Smith, Grant Williams, Handre Pollard.
