South Africa and New Zealand clash in two Rugby Championship matches, this weekend in Auckland and next week in Wellington.
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has named his team to take on the All Blacks in a Rugby Championship Test at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday (9am SA time).
Siya Kolisi returns from injury to play at No 8, with Pieter-Steph du Toit at blindside and Marco van Staden at openside. Centre Jesse Kriel, however, will captain the side, as he did in the Boks’ last Test against Australia.
Willie le Roux is also back in the team at fullback, while Canan Moodie will play on the left wing.
Handre Pollard and Grant Williams will be the halfback pairing.
Also, up front, Eben Etzebeth’s lock partner will be Ruan Nortje, while Erasmus has opted for a traditional 5-3 split between forwards and backs on the bench. Young Ethan Hooker, with just one Test cap to his name, is named among the replacements.
It is an experienced team with several World Cup winners in the mix.
‘Fair to keep Kriel as captain’
Commenting on the decision to hand the captaincy to Kriel rather than regular skipper Kolisi, Erasmus said: “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.
“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.
“It will also be a big occasion for him to captain the team against the All Blacks for the first time, so we are proud of Jesse, and we know he’ll carry this responsibility with great pride.”
The All Blacks team meanwhile was also named earlier Thursday, with lock Scott Barrett set to the lead the side. His two brothers Beauden (flyhalf) and Jordie (centre) were also named in the starting team.
Loose forward Ardie Savea will earn his 100th cap for the All Blacks on Saturday.
Springboks team to play at Eden Park (15-1):
Willie le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel (capt), Damian de Allende, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard, Grant Williams, Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje, Eben Etzebeth, Thomas du Toit, Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche.
Bench: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Boan Venter, Wilco Louw, Lood de Jager, Kwagga Smith, Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker
