Rassie Erasmus has named Siya Kolisi at No 8 and recalled Willie le Roux at fullback for Saturday’s Rugby Championship blockbuster against the All Blacks at Eden Park.
Erasmus has made four changes to the starting XV that beat the Wallabies in Cape Town.
The most striking call is Kolisi’s selection at the back of the scrum in what will be his second Test at No 8, after Jean-Luc du Preez was injured at training this week, with Jesse Kriel retaining the captaincy.
MORE: Rassie clarifies captaincy decision
Eben Etzebeth is restored to the second row alongside Ruan Nortje in what will be his 136th Test, while Pieter-Steph du Toit returns to blindside flank.
“Jean-Luc du Preez was originally selected to play at no.8 but injured a knee during training.”@MattP555 explains why Jesse Kriel has been named captain, while Siya Kolisi will start in the 8 jersey at Eden Park.#SSRugby | #TheRugbyChampionship pic.twitter.com/ZBu1Z0kB8s
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 4, 2025
Le Roux returns for his 101st cap having recovered from a groin niggle that ruled him out of the match against the Wallabies in Cape Town.
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On the bench, Erasmus has opted for five forwards and three backs. Jan-Hendrik Wessels takes over from Marnus van der Merwe at hooker, Kwagga Smith drops back to the replacements and Ethan Hooker comes in for Andre Esterhuizen.
“We selected the best possible team we could for the match, knowing that this is going to be an epic encounter against the All Blacks at Eden Park, and many of these players have done the job for us before against them,” Erasmus said.
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With the Boks chasing a fifth successive win over their fiercest rivals – and their first victory at Eden Park since 1937 – Erasmus stressed that Saturday would be a defining occasion.
“The history and rivalry between the sides speaks for itself, and with all the permutations attached to this match, it makes it particularly noteworthy, so we are expecting it to be a proper grind,” he added.
The Freedom Cup is also on the line, with Ardie Savea set to mark his 100th Test for New Zealand.
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SPRINGBOKS – 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel (c), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Siya Kolisi, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Bench: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Ethan Hooker.
Rassie Erasmus has named a settled side for Saturday’s Test against the All Blacks in Auckland
Catch all the action live on @SuperSportTV#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 4, 2025
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
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