By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has named his squad to take on the All Blacks in the second Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in Cape Town on Saturday, 29 August 2026.
Erasmus named Siya Kolisi, only if he passes a fitness test later in the week, while flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been dropped.
Kolisi will take the place of Paul de Villiers if he makes it through the week’s training after being omitted from the team beaten 33-16 by the All Blacks in the first test in Johannesburg. If he does not, De Villiers will keep his place, Erasmus said on Monday.
If Kolisi runs out at DHL Stadium, it will be the most experienced Springbok team ever to take the field, with a combined total of 1012 Test caps in the starting XV.
Given the uncertainty, Pieter-Steph du Toit will retain the captaincy in what will be his 100th appearance for the Springboks, while prop Ox Nche will join the club of players to earn 50 caps.
Handre Pollard and Cobus Reinach will start as the halfback pairing, and Ethan Hooker takes over from Cheslin Kolbe on the wing after he picked up a niggle in the first Test.
The switches on the bench sees the inclusion of 39-year-old Deon Fourie in a back-up front row with Gerhard Steenekamp and Thomas du Toit, while Lood de Jager (lock) and Cameron Hanekom (loose forward) will join hybrid Andre Esterhuizen as the replacement forwards.
All of the players in the matchday squad, with the exception of Fourie – who last wore the green and gold jersey in the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final – featured in the Boks’ last two Test matches, against Argentina and the All Blacks.
“Cheslin and Grant (Williams) suffered niggles last weekend, which ruled them out of contention for selection, while we have bracketed Siya alongside Paul to allow us time to monitor how Siya comes through training this week,” said Erasmus.
“The changes we made are in line with what we want to achieve on the field this week, and it is valuable that almost all of the players have been involved in the last two games, so they will be able to cope with the intensity and physicality of this match.”
Erasmus said it was exciting to have flyhalves with different skillsets in the squad: “Handre has delivered for us under extreme pressure, and we feel that what he and Cobus have the potential to bring at the beginning of the game, and then have Morne van den Berg and Sacha come on later with their different styles of play will be good for us this weekend.”
Looking forward to the match, Erasmus said: “One could see the hurt on everyone’s faces after Saturday’s match, and we know what we have to do to bounce back strongly this week. While we are fully aware of the challenging task ahead, we have regrouped and identified the areas of our game we need to fix, so we are ready and excited for the match in Cape Town.”
The Bok coach was full of praise for Pieter-Steph and Nche, with both earning special career milestones this weekend.
“Pieter-Steph and Ox have been pillars of strength for us on and off the field, and they both deserve these accolades,” said Erasmus.
“It is a remarkable achievement to play 100 Test matches, and for Pieter-Steph to deliver week in and week out the way he has over the years is incredible.”
“We are equally proud of Ox for the player and team man he has grown into, and to see him reach 50 Test caps is fantastic. That said, as a team, our focus is completely on Saturday’s game, and so is theirs, so our main objective is to deliver on the field. If we can do that, hopefully we will make it a memorable day for them.”
Erasmus expected another gruelling encounter against New Zealand on Saturday, and he emphasised the importance of converting the chances they create into points to earn the desired result.
“There were a handful of positives and negatives last week, but the main thing that let us down was that we created so many chances, but mistakes at crucial times cost us,” said the Bok coach.
“We’ll put in a lot of work this week to ensure that we are sharp in that regard this weekend because if we had used even some of those chances, the result could have been completely different.”
“That said, we know New Zealand will be charged up after winning last week, and they will want to build on that. But the key for us will be to focus on our game and ensure that we are as effective as possible all around.”
The match kicks off at 17h10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Springbok Squad – 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), 6 Siya Kolisi/Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.
Bench: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 André Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morné van den Berg, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.