Siya Kolisi will lead a rejigged Springbok lineup bolstered by two-time World Cup winners Willie le Roux and Lukhanyo Am against New Zealand in Cape Town on Saturday.
Kolisi, who took a severe blow to the cheek in last week’s victory in Johannesburg, made it through all the training sessions this week, and has been cleared to face the All Blacks for the first time at Cape Town Stadium.
He starts in a powerful loose trio with No 8 Jasper Wiese and Pieter-Steph du Toit, who reverts from lock to blindside flanker.
Winger Canan Moodie and scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse make their first appearances in the Bok jersey since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, while fullback Le Roux and outside back Am also return to the matchday 23 for the Rugby Championship clash in the Mother City.
TEAM: All Blacks bench Barrett
Scrumhalf Grant Williams earns his first start of the year in partnership with Handre Pollard, who is promoted from the bench along with Eben Etzebeth. Le Roux and Moodie come straight into the starting XV.
Etzebeth will pair up with Ruan Nortje in the secodn row, while Du Toit’s inclusion and Le Roux as the last line of defence sees Ben-Jason Dixon and Aphelele Fassi dropped, as well as Cobus Reinach.
Moodie fills the void left by Kurt-Lee Arendse, who has been ruled out due to concussion, with his inclusion seeing Cheslin Kolbe move from the right to left wing.
The Boks have reverted to a traditional five-three split on the bench with Am joining Hendrikse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu among the back replacements.
Meanwhile, Steven Kitshoff, Ben-Jason Dixon and Makazole Mapimpi have been released to to their provincial unions for more game time in the Currie Cup with DHL Western Province and the Sharks XV, respectively.
Springboks – 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche.
Subs: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Kwagga Smith, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Lukhanyo Am.
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
