Siya Kolisi named to play All Blacks but not as captain for Springboks

The Springboks have named their team to play the All Blacks which includes inspirational icon Siya Kolisi, but he hasn’t been named as captain.

Kolisi has been named at No.8 along with Marco van Staden and Pieter-Steph du Toit in the back row, a combination that has been regular in 2025.

But the captaincy has been given to centre Jesse Kriel, who lines up next to Damian de Allende as usual in the Bok midfield. Sharks midfielder Ethan Hooker has been named in the 23 jersey.

Johan Ackermann explains Marvin Orie’s early departure from the Bulls

Johan Ackermann explains Marvin Orie’s early departure from the Bulls

Erasmus said the decision to give Kriel the captaincy was down to uncertainty around Kolisi’s ability to play due to injury concerns.

“Siya was touch and go for the match earlier in the week after picking up a niggle a few weeks ago, and we didn’t want to risk him unnecessarily, but with Jean-Luc du Preez having picked up a niggle at training this week, Siya was the obvious choice to slot in at No.8,” he said.

“At that stage, Jesse had already been told he would be the captain, and it was only fair for us to keep things that way.

“He’s a great leader and one of the core players in our team. His communication with the referee and his teammates is good, and he leads by example in the way he plays, so he deserves this opportunity.”

In other changes, Cheslin Kolbe has moved across to the right wing where he will match up against Rieko Ioane. Kolbe has been playing on the left wing recently, but Canan Moodie will play there this week.

In the halves, Grant Williams is paired with Handre Pollard once again with Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are named on the bench as replacements.

Up front Eben Etzebeth returns to the starting line-up along side Ruan Nortje while Lood de Jager is the lone lock on a 5-3 bench. Utility loose forward Kwagga Smith is named as the back rower on the bench.

“There have been a few big scores between the sides in the past, but also many tight battles, so the most important aspects for us will be to execute our game plan as well as we can, fight fire with fire, and be effective in every aspect of our game,” Erasmus said.

“Every point will count in this match, so we need to be sharp mentally and physically, and ensure that we leave nothing out on the field.”

Springbok team to face New Zealand:

15 Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) – 100 caps, 75 pts (15t)
14 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) – 42 caps, 111 points (18t, 3c, 5p)
13 Jesse Kriel (captain, Canon Eagles) – 82 caps, 95 points (19t)
12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 90 caps, 55 points (11t)
11 Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 16 caps, 40 pts (8t)
10 Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls) – 83 caps, 812 points (8t, 122c, 171p, 5dg)
9 Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 21 caps, 25 pts (5t)

8 Siya Kolisi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 94 caps, 65 points (13t)
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 89 caps, 60 pts (12t)
6 Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 29 caps, 15 pts (3t)
5 Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 9 caps, 0 pts
4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 135 caps, 35 points (7t)
3 Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 26 caps, 5 pts (1t)
2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 80 caps, 115 pts (23t)
1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 43 caps, 0 pts

Replacements:

16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 5 caps, 10 pts (2t)
17 Boan Venter (Edinburgh) – 3 caps, 5 pts (1t)
18 Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 20 caps, 0 pts
19 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 69 caps, 25 points (5t)
20 Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 55 caps, 50 points (10t)
21 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 42 caps, 70 pts (14t)
22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 11 caps, 54 points (15c, 8p)
23 Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 1 cap, 0 points