POLOKWANE – Rugby fans across Polokwane are gearing up for a nervy weekend as the Springboks look to hit back against the All Blacks in Saturday’s (August 29) second test at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, after a shock defeat in the series opener.

Local support behind the team

With rugby a deeply rooted passion in Polokwane and across Limpopo, local fans are expected to gather at local pubs and around the braai as they cheer the Springboks on as they look to level the four-test series, dubbed Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.

Polokwane resident Cornelius Jooste said last weekend’s defeat was hard to take, but backed the team to respond.

“The Springboks have shown many times that they are at their most dangerous when their backs are against the wall. I still have full confidence that they can regroup, learn from their mistakes and come back fighting. When you are a Springbok supporter, you don’t only wear the green and gold when they are winning – this is precisely when the team needs the country behind them. Win or lose, they represent South Africa, and on Saturday I’ll be backing them 100%,” said Jooste.

Bok supporter Tebogo Malatsa admitted last weekend’s loss was hard to watch.

“I switched off my TV at 60 minutes,” he said. “But I’m still confident, that’s what it means to be a Bok supporter – we don’t quit when it’s tough.”

Malatsa pointed to the Boks’ 2023 comeback against Ireland as reason for optimism heading into Saturday’s second test.

Fellow supporter Adéle van der Linde watched the first test live at Ellis Park and said the mood in the stadium was subdued after the final whistle.

“It’s better to cry with 60 000 supporters than with six,” she said, adding that South Africans were “soon laughing and chatting again.”

She admitted to feeling nervous ahead of the match but is backing the Boks for a series comeback.

“I believe we can win at least two games and draw the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series,” she said.

Van der Linde predicted a tight win for the Boks on Saturday.

“It means a lot for South African pride, plus it will be putting the Springboks back on top of the world rankings,” she said.

Polokwane resident Tshego Ndlovu said the Boks weren’t outplayed for the full 80 minutes, pointing instead to costly errors.

“We actually created so many chances in the first half and had them on the ropes. The handling errors and ill-discipline – waving off kickable penalties, botching lineouts, then those two yellows in a minute – cost us,” she said.

Ndlovu said she remains confident heading into the second test, citing the Boks’ history of bouncing back from difficult positions, including their 2021 series win over the Lions after losing the opener, and their 2019 World Cup triumph after an opening loss to New Zealand.

“The way back is clear: win three on the trot, starting in Cape Town,” she said.

Boks stunned in series opener

New Zealand ended South Africa’s 12-match unbeaten run with a 33-16 victory at Ellis Park on August 22, scoring five tries to one in a second-half fightback that has left the Bok camp with plenty to fix before Saturday.

South Africa led 13-12 at halftime but could not hold on, with two late yellow cards allowing the All Blacks to close out the win.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus admitted the changes made for the rematch reflect what the team wants to fix on the field this week.

“The scoreboard is ugly – it isn’t lekker to lose like that,” Erasmus said after the match.

“We were over the line with a maul try and we lost the ball, and there were a few small things that we didn’t do well in the first 60 where we were controlling territory and possession. But we didn’t get the points when we needed to, and they were clinical when they got their opportunities.”

“We need to find a way back now against a very good New Zealand team,” he added. “We got a hiding today, so there will naturally be critics out there, and we will lay low, not read the papers and work hard to make sure we come back.”

The All Blacks closed out the franchise leg of their tour on Tuesday (August 25), beating the Lions 41-35 at Ellis Park in a come-from-behind win that completed their unbeaten sweep of South Africa’s four franchise sides, ahead of Saturday’s Springboks rematch.

Changes for Cape Town

Erasmus has made three confirmed changes to his starting side for the second test.

Handre Pollard returns at flyhalf alongside Cobus Reinach at scrumhalf, while Ethan Hooker comes in on the wing for the injured Cheslin Kolbe, who picked up a niggle in Johannesburg. Kurt-Lee Arendse shifts to the right wing as a result, with Damian Willemse continuing at fullback.

Captain Siya Kolisi has been bracketed alongside Paul de Villiers at flank, with his final inclusion depending on how he comes through training this week.

Erasmus has also recalled veteran forward Deon Fourie to the bench for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, a move he described as akin to “pushing the emergency button” as the Boks look to respond to last weekend’s defeat.

The match will also be a milestone occasion, with Pieter-Steph du Toit set to earn his 100th Springbok cap and Ox Nche his 50th.

What’s at stake

A defeat on Saturday would put the Springboks 2-0 down in the series.

The third test follows on September 5 at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, where the occasion will be doubled up by a historic curtain-raiser between the Springbok Women and the Black Ferns, the first time the sides have met on South African soil.

The series then concludes on September 12 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland – marking the first time the Springboks and All Blacks have met on American soil in the history of the rivalry.