Team Talk: Bomb Squad the key to first Kiwi scalp

OPINION: The Springbok Bomb Squad is well placed to expose a green and limited All Blacks bench in the first Test at Ellis Park this Saturday.

The war of words is over, and both teams have been announced ahead of the opening Test of the Greatest Rivalry series.

The good news for the All Blacks is that attacking maestros such as Damian McKenzie, Will Jordan and Cam Roigard have been cleared to play, and that captain Ardie Savea is back after missing the recent matches against the franchises.

As expected, coach Dave Rennie has included the lock-cum-flanker Tupou Vaa’i at No 6, in an attempt to combat the Boks’ physicality at the gainline.

Rennie has resisted the temptation to include an extra forward on his bench, however, and Vaa’i may move to lock after Peter Lakai and Anton Segner join the fray in the second half.

Rassie Erasmus and the Bok coaches will have noted Rennie’s forward selections with interest.

The starting All Blacks front-row combination is as expected, and should hold its own at the set-pieces on Saturday.

The big question, of course, is whether the bench trio of George Bower, Asafo Aumua and Fletcher Newell will live with the Bok scrum in the latter stages.

It also remains to be seen whether Lakai and Segner will adapt to the pace and intensity of the contest at Ellis Park, given their lack of experience and the fact they’re yet to play a Test on the Highveld.

And if the Boks have their way, there will be a fair amount of scrums and mauls in the last 40 minutes, at a time when the visitors are gasping for air.

At the team announcement on Thursday afternoon, Erasmus revealed that the Boks are nervous as well as excited ahead of the series opener.

After running the rule over the All Blacks match 23, they may feel they have a clear opportunity to go 1-0 up.

Erasmus has selected a starting pack with the potential to win the key battles at the set pieces and at the gainline – and tighthead prop Wilco Louw will have a key job to do at the scrum in the first 40 minutes.

The Boks have decided not to risk captain Siya Kolisi, and the hosts may miss his ball-carrying power in the wider channels.

That said, flanker Paul de Villiers will have the chance to stifle the vaunted All Blacks’ attack from the outset – as opposed to doing the job from the bench – as will Malcolm Marx, one of the world’s best breakdown exponents.

While Kolisi has been wrapped in cotton wool, another player who has been carrying an injury has been pushed to start.

Ox Nché will pack down alongside Marx and Louw in the starting front row – in what is arguably the Boks’ strongest scrummaging combination.

Erasmus said that Nché can go 80 minutes if needed, but Gerhard Steenekamp as well as Jan-Hendrik Wessels could be utilised at loosehead, while the versatile Marco van Staden will offer another option at hooker.

Zach Porthen has cracked the nod ahead of the more experienced Thomas du Toit – who’s been in white-hot form for Bath and the Boks in recent seasons.

The young tighthead should add value at the set-pieces and breakdowns this Saturday, as he has in recent Tests.

And as Erasmus stressed at Thursday’s press conference, the Boks will need more than 23 players to win the four-game series.

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Players like Kolisi, Du Toit and other veterans like Handré Pollard and Lood de Jager should be back in the mix in the coming weeks.

The All Blacks don’t have the same depth as South Africa, and may be short on personnel by the time the series reaches the third and fourth Tests.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t much talk at the recent press conference about the Boks’ selections on the bench.

While it’s clear that Erasmus has selected two front rows with the potential to win the set-piece and breakdown battles, it remains to be seen how André Esterhuizen – listed as Player 20 – will be used on the day.

Esterhuizen was used as a flank in some of the Boks’ biggest matches last November, and may well join the forwards – as part of a six-two bench split – if all goes to plan on Saturday.

Barring injuries to the back division, Esterhuizen may be deployed alongside Cobus Wiese in the second half, as the Boks look to attack the All Blacks at the scrums and mauls.

Barring injuries to the forwards, Van Staden could replace Jasper Wiese at No 8 – and in that event, the hosts will have the luxury of fielding two fetchers in Van Staden and De Villiers during the latter stages.

Inevitably, much of the pre-match talk will centre on Erasmus’ selections at No 9 and 10.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu finished the 2025 season as the Boks’ first-choice flyhalf, but missed the Nations Championship Tests due to an ankle injury.

The No 10 wasn’t at his best in his comeback match against Argentina two weeks ago, and as a result, some – this writer included – suggested that Manie Libbok should start in the first Test against the All Blacks.

That said, Erasmus’ selection makes a lot of sense.

The halfback pairing of Grant Williams and Feinberg-Mngomezulu should give the Boks plenty of attacking and kicking options across the first 40 to 60 minutes this Saturday.

Erasmus has opted to keep the veteran pairing of Cobus Reinach and Libbok for the second half – and while experienced heads will be needed to clinch a close contest, both of these attack-minded players will thrive if the game opens up.

Will Feinberg-Mngomezulu play the full 80 minutes, given his recent injury struggles?

It will be interesting to see whether the youngster or Libbok moves to fullback – perhaps if Damian Willemse moves from No 15 to 12 – in the latter stages.

Erasmus may opt to keep Feinberg-Mngomezulu – the best goal-kicker in the match 23 – on the park, in case a last-gasp penalty or conversion is required to win the contest.

On the other hand, Cheslin Kolbe kicked well for the Boks in the recent Nations Championship Tests, and may prove a good option if Feinberg-Mngomezulu leaves the field.

Overall, it is a well-balanced side that will ask questions of this All Blacks team across the various departments.

By contrast, the All Blacks appear to be putting all of their eggs in one basket.

If the visitors fail to build early momentum via their high-tempo attack, they may struggle to rectify matters in the closing stages.

Much of their game plan will hinge on a fast start that results in a 10 to 14 point lead before half-time.

But if the Boks keep the All Blacks honest in the first half, the Bomb Squad may strike the decisive blow in the second.