Pieter-Steph du Toit will lead the Springboks in the opening Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series on Saturday, with fellow two-time World Cup winner Damian de Allende bringing up a huge milestone.
De Allende will become just the 10th Bok to reach 100 Test caps when South Africa host the All Blacks at Ellis Park.
Rassie Erasmus’ starting XV blends continuity with players who stayed behind in Johannesburg to prepare while the rest of the squad edged Argentina 17-10 in Buenos Aires.
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Only Eben Etzebeth and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu retain their starting spots, with seven more players from the Argentina squad – Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Marco van Staden, Cobus Wiese, Gerhard Steenekamp, Zachary Porthen, André Esterhuizen and Cobus Reinach – named among the replacements.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu partners Grant Williams at halfback, while Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Damian Willemse make up the back three. De Allende lines up alongside Jesse Kriel in midfield.
Ox Nché returns from injury to join Wilco Louw and Malcolm Marx in the front row, with Etzebeth reunited with Ruan Nortjé in the second row.
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Paul de Villiers and Jasper Wiese flank Du Toit in the run-on loose trio.
Erasmus has kept the same replacement front row of Wessels, Steenekamp and Porthen from the Argentina Test, with Cobus Wiese, Van Staden and Esterhuizen offering further forward cover.
Reinach and flyhalf Manie Libbok complete the 6-2 bench as the specialist backs.
SPRINGBOKS – 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.
Bench: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 André Esterhuizen, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Manie Libbok.
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Photo: Paul Harding/Getty Images
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Pieter-Steph du Toit will lead the Springboks in the opening Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series on Saturday, with fellow two-time World Cup winner Damian de Allende bringing up a huge milestone.
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