Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is back in the starting line-up for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship clash against New Zealand in Cape Town on Saturday.
This comes after Kolisi took a hard blow to the cheek in last week’s clash at the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg.
He did, however, make it through all the training sessions this week.
Kolisi has been cleared to feature in what is expected to be another heated battle between the two rugby heavyweights.
Seven changes
Boks coach Rassie Erasmus made seven changes to the team that started in their comeback 31-27 victory against the All Blacks.
Canan Moodie (wing) and Jaden Hendrikse (scrumhalf) will make their first appearances for the Boks since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, while Willie le Roux (fullback) and Lukhanyo Am (utility back) also return to the squad.
Grant Williams (scrumhalf) will start for the first time this season and will team up with Handre Pollard (flyhalf), who is promoted from the bench along with Eben Etzebeth (lock).
Erasmus expressed his delight to have Kolisi back and ready for battle again.
“Siya is a world-class player and captain, and he adds immense value to the team with the way he leads by example and galvanises the team when the pressure is on,” Erasmus said via sarugby.
“Similarly to the call we made with Eben last week, our team policy is that if a player trains on a Monday and gets through training during the week pain-free, they can be selected for the weekend, and Siya did just that.
“Honesty from the players about whether they can play and deliver fully on what we expect from them is a key part of our team culture, so we have full faith in Siya to give everything on the field.”
Ahead of the blockbuster, Erasmus said he is wary of the All Blacks threat, as they will come out gunsblazing to redeem themselves.
World-class outfit
“This match is going to be massive,” said Erasmus.
“New Zealand is a world-class outfit, and we know that they’ll be desperate to bounce back after leading in the second half last week.
“They will also be fully aware of the fact that a victory could give them a huge boost on the Castle Lager Rugby Championship standings and will be playing to retain the Freedom Cup, which they’ve held since 2010.
“So, it’s going to be another epic encounter. They are a quality team with a lot of pace and several players who have a great X-factor.
“We also saw last week what they can do if they get a strong start, while they have proven time and time again that they are a team that can close out games under a lot of pressure in the last 20 minutes, so it’s going to take a huge team effort to register a victory against them.”
Springbok team to face New Zealand:
15: Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls)
14: Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls)
13: Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles)
12: Damian de Allende (Wild Knights)
11: Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath)
10: Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers)
9: Grant Williams (Hollywood Bets Sharks)
8: Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks)
7: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz)
6: Siya Kolisi (captain, Racing 92)
5: Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls)
4: Eben Etzebeth (Hollywood Bets Sharks)
3: Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers)
2: Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
1: Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
Replacements:
16: Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears)
17: Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls)
18: Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
19: Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs)
20. Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls)
21: Jaden Hendrikse (Hollywood Bets Sharks)
22: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers)
23: Lukhanyo Am (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
