Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has made significant changes to his squad for Saturday’s Rugby Championship match against the All Blacks at Ellis Park, introducing nine new players from the team that defeated the Wallabies 30-12 in Perth, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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Veteran lock Eben Etzebeth is sidelined with a back injury, and Salmaan Moerat, who captained the Perth Test but was injured with a concussion, is also out. Pieter-Steph du Toit and Ruan Nortje will pair up as locks in their absence.
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Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu retains the flyhalf position with Handré Pollard staying on the bench, while Aphelele Fassi continues at fullback ahead of Willie le Roux. Jasper Wiese returns from suspension to start at No 8. The forward pack sees six changes from the Perth match, with a new front row featuring Ox Nché, a returning Frans Malherbe, and Bongi Mbonambi.
Du Toit shifts from the side of the scrum to lock alongside Nortje, while Wiese joins Siya Kolisi and Ben-Jason Dixon, who has recovered from a knee injury, in the loose trio. Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel will form the centre partnership, with Kurt-Lee Arendse joining Cheslin Kolbe and Fassi in the back three.
The Springbok bench, featuring a six-two split of forwards and backs, includes Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp and Vincent Koch as front-row replacements, with Elrigh Louw, Marco van Staden, and Kwagga Smith covering the loose forwards. Grant Williams and Pollard are the backline options on the bench, providing cover for scrumhalf, wing, centre, and flyhalf.
The squad includes 12 players who participated in the Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand last October. Erasmus noted that while Eben Etzebeth could have been ready for this match, selecting a fully fit player was more beneficial, and he expects Salmaan Moerat to be back in the mix next week.
Springboks XV:
15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche Substitutes: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Marco van Staden, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Handre Pollard
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Picture: Will Russel / Gallo Images