Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Rassie Erasmus reacts to All Blacks’ changes after injuries to key players

Mark Tele’a of New Zealand talks to his teammates during The Rugby Championship match between New Zealand All Blacks and Argentina at Eden Park on August 17, 2024 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has praised All Blacks wingers Sevu Reece and Mark Tele’a ahead of their return to the starting side this week. Reece and Tele’a are back as two of the five changes to the All Blacks’ First XV for Saturday’s Test in Cape Town.

ADVERTISEMENT

On Thursday, the All Blacks announced their team for their ‘rematch’ against the Springboks. New Zealand were beaten by their fierce foe 31-27 at Johannesburg’s Emirates Airline Park last weekend and they’re intent on bouncing back while they’re in South Africa.

Youngster Wallace Sititi comes into the run-on side for the first time after being named at blindside flanker. Cortez Ratima has been promoted to starting halfback while TJ Perenara drops to the bench, and Will Jordan’s shift from wing to fullback is another big talking point.

Video Spacer
Video Spacer

There are two injury concerns for the All Blacks with backrower Ethan Blackadder and winger Caleb Clarke both ruled out. Blackadder was a man “possessed” during the Johannesburg Test and Clarke also stood out with an impressive double in the narrow defeat.

But, the injury to Clarke has opened the door for a bit of a backline reshuffle with Beauden Barrett also dropping to the bench. At the Springboks’ press conference on Thursday, Erasmus was especially complimentary towards New Zealand’s two new starting wingers.

“Look, Sevu and Tele’a… (Sevu) is just very dangerous and Tele’a is the guy. He’s physical, dangerous, legs are pumping all the time – someone (who) picks and goes from the middle of the ruck,” Erasmus told reporters at the team’s hotel.

“(Assistant coach) Jerry (Flannery) worked hard on not to stop individuals but for the guys to know individuals because if you think you’re just going to tackle them, a normal tackle, then they’ll get away.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I thought Caleb Clarke, anyway, was fantastic but he’s injured I think.

“Ethan is unfortunately injured so they had to make a change there. I think we made five changes and they made five changes.”

Related

Reece and Tele’a have an opportunity now to stake their claim in the black jersey once again, and there might be no grander stage to do it than DHL Stadium on Saturday. The Freedom Cup is on the line, with the Boks looking to win it back for the first time since 2009.

South Africa are also in a prime position to push on towards their first Rugby Championship crown since 2019. But if the likes of Reece, Tele’a, Jordan and Sititi can take their opportunities with both hands, then the All Blacks should be able to build on last week’s performance.

ADVERTISEMENT

On Saturday, the All Blacks were on the cusp of what would’ve been an incredible win at Emirates Airline Park. They led 27-17 with 15 minutes left to play, but a yellow card to Ofa Tu’ungafasi swung the match’s momentum in the hosts’ favour.

Replacements Kwagga Smith and Grant Williams scored a try each as the Springboks clawed their way back into the lead with about six minutes left to play. It never looked like they’d surrender that advantage as the 60,000 in attendance helped bring them home.

The All Blacks had been labelled the underdogs for that Test but, as Erasmus explained, they showed “their greatness will always be around.” Erasmus and the Springboks expect no different on Saturday evening in Cape Town.

“I think what the world knows about them. (They’re) a magnificent team,” Erasmus added.

“Maybe I used the wrong word in the post-match conference… I think they were very unlucky.

“They obviously were not on a high there after the loss to Argentina but then the next game they thrashed them.

“For us going to New Zealand is daunting… I remember us playing a Test match there, we were 15 points up at minute 75 and they still scored three tries… I think our guys are learning a little bit from that. The moment you think you have them, you don’t have them.

“They’ve got a lot to offer not just strategically; their scrums are great, their mauls are great. They certainly matched us at the set phases very well. I thought the breakdown was a tight contest.

“… then they’ve got these individual guys who from nothing do something. It’s a very difficult team to coach against, to play against. Their greatness will always be around them just because they’ve got really special players and coaches.”

ADVERTISEMENT

HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025 | Day Two Men's Highlights

HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025 | Day Two Women's Highlights

Jet Lag: The biggest challenge facing international sports? | The Report

Boks Office | Episode 39 | The Investec Champions Cup is back

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry? | New Zealand & Australia | Sevens Wonders | Episode 5

Kobelco Kobe Steelers vs Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

The Rise of Kenya | The Report

The Fixture: How This Rugby Rivalry Has Lasted 59 Years

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

7 Comments
T
TT 212 days ago

If I was the opposition coach, I to would praise having to rest 1st test stars Clarke & Blackadder, then replacing positions with less performing Telea & Reece & especially Rookie Sititi but also fullblack restart Jordan. Is it Xmas time I'd ask.

s
snr.star 212 days ago

AB v SA is the greatest match up in rugby, end of....and respected by fans in spite of all the BS talk.

We have not seen the best of AB teams for a while... successive coaches keep selecting players out of position..

Savea is a 7 not 8, Satiti is 8 not 6, Riko is a world class wing not 13, Jordy is a classy 15, not 12 , Will is a 14, not 15, Caleb is a midfielder not a wing...I live in hope one day they stop trying to put square pegs in round holes.

J
JW 213 days ago

The emperor has spoken.

B
B 213 days ago

If you're unfamiliar with the term "sugar coating"... this press report from Rassie Erasmus is a prime example of how to cover your butt in case the result doesn't go his way...anyhoo..there were two positive mind game results Scott Robertson had over Rassie...(1) making him name his team on Thursday..(2) not revealing the injured Caleb Clarke and Ethan Blackadder...Go the AB's...let the TRC go...just reload, and focus on the game plan to retain the Freedom Cup...

H
Hellhound 213 days ago

Dreams is bubbles, they always burst. Don't make statements that won't age well

C
CR 213 days ago

I don’t see how hiding the fact that Blackadder and Clarke isn’t playing is a win 😂

E
Ed the Duck 214 days ago

With trash talk between fans, that occasionally includes rugby journo’s and even the coaches can be tempted with their mind games. So people can sometimes get the wrong end of the stick about this rivalry. But the respect at the core between the two teams, players and coaches, is genuine and very much real. A testament to all that is great about the game.

Load More Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

A
Andrea Irvine 1 hour ago
Blues lose All Black for season ahead of Hurricanes derby

I can rewire a human brain, course through the most sensitive neural pathways, and restore life with steady hands and a sharp scalpel. But it would appear none of those prepared me for the horror of a hardware wallet that had decided it wanted to self-destruct. It had been years since my Ledger device had sat comfortably in my drawer, unvexed and pristine, like a relic from my earlier Bitcoin investment days. Then came the fateful evening when I decided to switch it on just to check on my stash. That is when I was greeted by an error message so incomprehensible that it could as well have been written in ancient hieroglyphics. At first, I kept calm. I had been in life-and-death situations before, so surely, I could troubleshoot a problem with my wallet. Rebooting? Nothing. Firmware reset? Even worse. With every attempt, my precious $680,000 worth of Bitcoin seemed to slip further from my grasp. The real panic set in when I realized that I had stored my recovery phrase somewhere "safe"-so safe that even I couldn't remember where it was. Hours of frantic searching, multiple YouTube tutorials, and a last-ditch effort to reach out to Ledger support resulted in one grim conclusion: "Your funds may be irretrievable." As a neurosurgeon, I’m used to bad news—but this? Unacceptable. That is when I discovered TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY. A little skeptical I was- if they couldn't help me, a manufacturer of the device, then how would anyone else? I had nothing to lose. The moment I reached out to them, I knew I had done the right thing: I was professional, transparent, and confident that they could recover my lost Bitcoin. They performed some kind of digital wallet emergency surgery, getting everything back in six days. Through what can only be described as magic, by way of forensic techniques, they bypassed corruption and extracted my private keys and every Satoshi, to boot. If it stopped there, that would've been great; then they walked me through how to properly secure my assets going forward more "too safe to find" backups. I may be the expert in the operating room, but when it comes to resuscitating a dead crypto wallet, TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY is your team on call. Cold storage has failed; don't try to self-operate, just get the pros in before your Bitcoin flatlines. VISIT THEM ONEMAIL: Techcybersforcerecovery@cyberservices.comTELEGRAM: @TECHCYBERFORCWhatsApp: +1 561 726 36 97

3 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Mick Cleary: 'Can we have our Champions Cup back, please?' Mick Cleary: 'Can we have our Champions Cup back, please?'
Search