Following the delay in the squad announcement on Tuesday, Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has made about seven changes in the team that will face the All Blacks in the second leg of the Rugby Championship Test on Saturday at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town.
The 23-man squad consists of Boks captain, Siya Kolisi who has recovered from a facial injury he sustained at the Ellis Park Stadium last week.
The starting 15 features about 13 players who were part of the 2023 World Cup final in Paris, France, against New Zealand, where the Bokke won the match 12-11.
It includes team Captain, Siya Kolisi, Cheslin Kolbe, Eben Etzebeth, Ox Nche and Handre Pollard positioned at fly-half amongst others.
Additionally, Vincent Koch and Malcom Marx, who were on the starting lineup against the All Blacks in Johannesburg were added as replacements alongside Jaden Hendrikse and Kwagga Smith.
Erasmus says the focus now is to beat New Zealand four times in a row which will be the first time since 1949.
“It would be fantastic to achieve that as a team, but if you look far ahead, it comes back to bite you.
The focus for us all week is to try to deliver the best possible performance we can against New Zealand and to correct the wrongs of last week.
Like us they have a lot to play for, so we know it will be as intense and tight as it has ever been between us.
It’s going to take another hard grind for the full 80 minutes,’’ said Erasmus.
The coach also expressed relief to have Kolisi lead the team in this clash especially after concerns that he might miss it.
“Similarly to the call we made with Eben last week, our team policy is that if a player trains on a Monday and gets through training during the week pain free, they can be selected for the weekend and Siya did just that,’’ explained Erasmus.
