South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus says playing in front of a potential 80,000-strong crowd at FNB Stadium will give the Springboks an unforgettable experience when they face the All Blacks in Soweto on Saturday.
The match is the third Test in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, with Erasmus largely maintaining the side that produced a composed performance in Cape Town last week.
He has made four changes to the match-day 23, along with one positional switch. Ox Nche and Wilco Louw return as the starting props, while Malcolm Marx comes back at hooker. Gerhard Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit and Deon Fourie move to the replacements bench.
Cheslin Kolbe switches to fullback, with Kurt-Lee Arendse coming into the starting line-up on the wing.
“We are excited that we will be playing at the FNB Stadium, where on a good day there is an 80,000-strong crowd,” Erasmus said.
“That will be a new and exciting experience for our players because most of these players have never run onto the field there, and the support we enjoy there will add to the occasion.
“With the vuvuzelas and passionate crowd there, we can hardly hear one another on the field, so we are all thrilled about this occasion.
“But make no mistake, this is going to be another intense battle between the two top teams in the world who are both looking to get an edge in the series, so we know what we have to do, and composure and accuracy are going to be vital for both sides.”
Erasmus said retaining combinations was a deliberate decision after South Africa’s performance in the previous Test.
“It was always our plan to have a little more continuity in player combinations for this series,” he said.
“We thought that the players who did the job for us last week really showed composure and did well to stick to the plan and what we wanted to achieve last week.
“Unfortunately, Damian Willemse took a knock in the first half and was not available for selection this weekend, and neither was Handre Pollard, and by sticking to these combinations and making one switch with Cheslin at fullback, we thought it would be the best for this match.
“Kurt-Lee was unlucky not to play last week after Cheslin recovered from his niggle, so we are pleased to see him back.
“He is a quality player, and his 25 tries in 33 matches so far shows the type of player he is.”
The Springboks expect New Zealand to respond strongly in Soweto after the outcome of the opening match in Johannesburg.
“We know how it felt after the first match in Johannesburg, and such a result really galvanises a team, so we have no doubt that they will go full-out to win this Test match before the series finale in the US next week,” Erasmus said.
“They are one of the two best teams in the world and based on experience, they never give up, as we saw last weekend, so this will undoubtedly be another epic encounter between the sides.
“After two games, we are both into hard Test rugby mode, and we have a good idea of what to expect from one another, so it is going to be another grind of a match.”
South Africa’s starting team is: Cheslin Kolbe; Kurt-Lee Arendse; Jesse Kriel; Damian de Allende; Ethan Hooker; Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu; Cobus Reinach; Jasper Wiese; Pieter-Steph du Toit; Siya Kolisi (capt); Ruan Nortje; Eben Etzebeth; Wilco Louw; Malcolm Marx; Ox Nche.
Replacements: Deon Fourie; Gerhard Steenekamp; Thomas du Toit; Lood de Jager; Andre Esterhuizen; Cameron Hanekom; Morne van den Berg; Manie Libbok.
