Du Toit and Nche set for milestones, Pollard back as Boks seek revenge against All Blacks

Two-time World Rugby Player of the Year du Toit will mark the significant achievement of becoming the 11th player in Bok history to earn 100 Test caps, while prop Ox Nche will join the club of players to earn 50 caps in Cape Town this weekend.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus named a similar starting XV to the one that lined up against the All Blacks in Johannesburg last week, with the only changes seeing Siya Kolisi bracketed alongside Paul de Villiers at flanker, while Handre Pollard and Cobus Reinach will start as the halfback pairing, and Ethan Hooker takes over from Cheslin Kolbe on the wing after he picked up a niggle in the first Test.

Should Kolisi make it through training comfortably this week, he will replace Paul de Villiers, joining Du Toit and Jasper Wiese in the loose trio, while Hooker's inclusion sees Kurt-Lee Arendse switch from the left to right wing in an exciting back three with Damian Willemse. Pieter-Steph du Toit retains the captaincy.

If Kolisi runs out at DHL Stadium, it will be the most experienced Springbok team ever to take the field, with a combined total of 1012 Test caps in the starting XV.

The switches on the bench sees the inclusion of 39-year-old Deon Fourie in a back-up front row with Gerhard Steenekamp and Thomas du Toit, while Lood de Jager (lock) and Cameron Hanekom (loose forward) will join hybrid Andre Esterhuizen as the replacement forwards.

The two replacement backs, meanwhile, are scrumhalf Morne van den Berg and the versatile Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

All of the players in the matchday squad, with the exception of Fourie - who last wore the green and gold jersey in the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final - featured in the Boks' last two Test matches, against Argentina and the All Blacks.

"Cheslin and Grant (Williams) 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," said Erasmus.

"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."

Erasmus said it was exciting to have flyhalves with different skillsets in the squad: "Handre has delivered for us under extreme pressure, and we feel that what he and Cobus have the potential to bring at the beginning of the game, and then have Morne and Sacha come on later with their different styles of play will be good for us this weekend."

Looking forward to the match, Erasmus said: "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."

The Bok coach was full of praise for Pieter-Steph du Toit and Nche, with both earning special career milestones this weekend.

"Pieter-Steph and Ox have been pillars of strength for us on and off the field, and they both deserve these accolades," said Erasmus.

"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."

Erasmus expected another gruelling encounter against New Zealand on Saturday, and he emphasised the importance of converting the chances they create into points to earn the desired result.

"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," said the Bok coach.

"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 - 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, 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. 

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