Rassie rings the changes for All Black rematch
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus named a new-look backline for the second Test against the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday.
Ethan Hooker will earn his first start in the Green and Gold.
The fourth-round Rugby Championship encounter in Wellington will decide which team claims the Freedom Cup.
Erasmus made seven personnel changes to his starting XV, with 16 players in the match-23 retained from the side that went down 17-24 against the All Blacks in Auckland last week.
The Bok coach tinkered with his backline, with Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu pairing up at halfback, Damian Willemse and Canan Moodie in the midfield, Hooker and Cheslin Kolbe on the wings, and Aphelele Fassi at fullback, in a team that will be led by regular captain Siya Kolisi.
Up front, Kolisi returns to flank along with Pieter-Steph du Toit, while No.8 Jasper Wiese will return to the field for the first time since facing Italy in July, after serving his four-match suspension.
The only change in the pack was at lock, where Lood de Jager will pack down next to Ruan Nortje, while Erasmus stuck with the same front row of props Ox Nche and Thomas du Toit, and hooker Malcolm Marx.
Erasmus again opted for a split of five forwards and three backs on the replacements’ bench, where Marnus van der Merwe (hooker), Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Wilco Louw (props), RG Snyman (lock) and Kwagga Smith (loose forward) will provide further forward cover.
The backs on the bench are halfbacks Grant Williams, Manie Libbok, and centre Andre Esterhuizen.
“This is an exciting team, which we believe will provide us with the forward power we require, and spark in the backline against a quality All Blacks side,” said Erasmus.
“We’ve maintained consistency in selection to a large degree in the last few matches, but apart from what we feel some of the players selected can add to our attack, we’d like to see what some of the players can do against the top-ranked team in the world.
“This is a vital match for our Rugby Championship campaign, and we feel some fresh legs and energy are what we need to come away with the desired result.”
Erasmus added: “Every player in this squad knows we believe in them and back them, and this will serve as a great occasion for them to show us what they are capable of against a team such as the All Blacks.
“They have all done the job for us against some of the top teams in the world earlier this year, and others over the last few years, and we know they’ll relish this opportunity to face New Zealand in their backyard.”
The Bok coach said they are expecting another epic encounter against their arch rivals: “Both teams will be up for the challenge this week after having to cope with heavy rain at times in Auckland, and after the disappointing performance we delivered in the opening stages of that match, we know we need to be much more effective in all departments this week and produce a performance both us and our supporters can be proud of.
“We need a top-class performance to ensure that we are in contention to win the Rugby Championship.
“We know where we went wrong last week and what we must fix, and we’ll leave no stone unturned to fix those errors. There’s no doubt that we have to deliver a proper 80-minute performance to do well, and we will give everything to achieve that.”
South Africa: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Andre Esterhuizen.
Date: Saturday, September 8
Venue: Wellington Regional Stadium
Kick-off: 19.05 (09.05 SA time; 07.05 GMT)
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
