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Rassie Erasmus names Bok team to face All Blacks with one surprise omission
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South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus has named his squad to face the All Blacks on Saturday at Ellis Park in the first match of their Greatest Rivalry series.
Pieter-Steph du Toit will captain what is a settled side in Siya Kolisi’s absence, with the XV largely being what everyone predicted.
One surprise decision comes at tighthead prop, where Wilco Louw has been selected to start, with Thomas du Toit missing out entirely. The six-cap Zachary Porthen will provide back-up on the bench.
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There was plenty of debate leading into the match over who would form the half-back pairing, with Grant Williams and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu ultimately getting the nod. They will operate inside Damian de Allende, who is set to win his 100th Test cap.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Eben Etzebeth are the only two players retained in the starting XV from the win over Argentina earlier this month. Both missed South Africa’s Nations Championship campaign last month and, along with Louw, are the three additions to the XV that beat England at Ellis Park at the beginning of July.
Erasmus has broken from tradition by naming his team after his opponents, albeit only hours after Dave Rennie announced his All Blacks squad.
“We are all very excited for Damian, and to achieve this milestone in this series makes it even more special,” said Erasmus.
“He’s a great team man, and servant to the game, so we hope we can make it a memorable day for him. That said, his focus all week has only been on this match, and he will certainly not let the occasion shadow what he has to do on the field.”
Looking at the Boks’ opponents, Erasmus said: “They are a quality team and they’re very well coached, so we are preparing for an 80-minute grind. They have a well-rounded squad with physical forwards and an exciting backline, so we have to be sharp and accurate in our execution from the outset.
“Many of the matches between the sides have come down to the wire, so it’s important that we use the chances we create and ensure that our discipline is on point. It’s going to be a big battle, but the entire squad is excited about the match and are looking forward to it.”
South Africa XV: 15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers); 14 Cheslin Kolbe (DHL Stormers), 13 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), 12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Mitsubishi Dynaboars); 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), 9 Grant Williams (Kobe Steelers); 1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), 2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), 3 Wilco Louw (DHL Stormers), 4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), 5 Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears), 6 Paul de Villiers (DHL Stormers), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain, Toyota Verblitz), 8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), 17 Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls), 18 Zachary Porthen (DHL Stormers), 19 Cobus Wiese (Vodacom Bulls), 20 Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), 21 Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), 22 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers), 23 Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners).
