Springboks team: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu dropped, Cheslin Kolbe out and Rassie Erasmus undecided over Siya Kolisi
Planet Rugby · Colin Newboult · 2026-08-24T10:35:29+00:00 · nguồn gốc
Springboks team: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu dropped as Pieter-Steph du Toit hits milestone while Rassie Erasmus undecided over Siya Kolisi
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been moved down to the Springboks bench after his poor display in the defeat to the All Blacks, while Siya Kolisi has been pencilled in for a return.
The fly-half made a number of errors in their 33-16 reversal at Ellis Park and he has been replaced in the XV by Handre Pollard.
He is one of just four changes to the side, providing Kolisi makes it through training after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Should the back-rower not be ready then Paul de Villiers will resume at flanker alongside number eight Jasper Wiese and fellow flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit, who once again captains the team on his 100th appearance.
The other alterations are injury-enforced with Cheslin Kolbe and Grant Williams out, which means Ethan Hooker and Cobus Reinach start respectively.
“Cheslin and Grant 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,” head coach Rassie Erasmus said.
“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.”
The Springboks front five which impressed in the opening match of the Greatest Rivalry Test series remain with props Wilco Louw and Ox Nche – earning his 50th cap – alongside hooker Malcolm Marx, while Eben Etzebeth and Ruan Nortje are at lock.
Du Toit’s ‘remarkable achievement’
“Pieter-Steph and Ox have been pillars of strength for us on and off the field, and they both deserve these accolades,” Erasmus said.
“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.”
Behind the scrum, Damian Willemse and Kurt-Lee Arendse retain their places in the back three, albeit the latter shifts to the right wing, and Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende continue at centre.
There are a few more alterations among the replacements as 39-year-old Deon Fourie returns to the Boks 23 for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final.
Thomas du Toit, Lood de Jager, Cameron Hanekom, Morne van den Berg and Feinberg-Mngomezulu are the new names on the bench with Andre Esterhuizen and Gerhard Steenekamp to keep the same jerseys.
That means Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Zachary Porthen, Cobus Wiese, Marco van Staden and Manie Libbok have been axed from the squad for the second All Blacks Test.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
Springboks team to face All Blacks in Cape Town
Springboks: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), 6 Siya Kolisi/Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Date: Saturday, 29 August, 2026
Kick-off: 17:10 (local SAST), 16:10 (UK), 17:10 (France), 17:10 (South Africa), 01:10 (23 August, AEST), 03:10 (23 August, New Zealand), 12:10 (Argentina), 00:10 (23 August, JST), 11:10 (EDT)
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)
Assistant Referees: Karl Dickson (RFU), Angus Gardner (RA)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)
FPRO: Brett Cronan (RA)