Key events
South Africa’s loose-forward trio of Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese will start together for a record 18th time.
This is the second match being played today.
The women teams of both nations have completed their tussle.
The Black Ferns beat the Springbok Women 52-20 in the first women’s Test between the sides on South African soil.
The scoreline eventually reflected New Zealand’s class, but South Africa were competitive for long periods and trailed only 24-13 at half-time. It was another valuable test for a team still building, played in front of a major crowd and on a memorable day for women’s rugby.
Here’s Siys Kolisi on the significance of playing this match in Soweto:
So many things that happened in Soweto helped shape the South Africa we have today. So many heroes have come from there and a lot of the football history of this country is from Soweto, so we know how special that is. We’re not going to act like it’s not a special ground in a significant area. All of that gives us more to play for. We are also thankful for the people who came from there and fought for people like me to be sitting here today.
They fought for the freedom we have now and never got to experience it, and giving our best tomorrow is part of us saying thank you. Hopefully we can do that with a win and change the history between the two teams here.
South Africa have never beaten New Zealand at FNB Stadium. The All Blacks won there 29-22 in 2010 and 32-16 in 2012.
Just on the stadium. It’s truly magnificent. It might look like little more than a large bowl, but the place is electric.
I hope the New Zealand supporters visiting Soweto for the first time took it all in. I especially hope they sank a few cold Zamaleks in a Shabeen before and also chowed some shisanyama with their fingers.
If you know, you know.
The aerial battle remains central.
The Boks will keep testing New Zealand’s back three. Damian McKenzie, Will Jordan and Leroy Carter must either win those contests or give South Africa poor-field-position penalties and possession.
The Boks bossed the skies last week thanks alrgely to Ethan Hooker. But Damian Willemse’s absence will be felt I feel. Can the smaller Cheslin Kolbe at fullback replicate that dominance in the air?
How about some reading:
That flyover last week was close, wasn’t it? There’ll be no tomfoolery this time:
There’s a Jonah Lomu documentary that’s pretty good. Check it out:
Rassie Erasmus is either rugby union’s Lucifer or the sport’s saviour. Likely something between those two extremes. Either way, he’s hard to ignore.
New Zealand team
There are three changes to the All Blacks team that lost in Cape Town last week, all of them among the forwards.
Asafo Aumua replaces the experienced Codie Taylor at hooker, with Samisoni Taukei’aho coming onto the bench. Sam Darry starts at lock, pushing Fabian Holland among the replacements, while Peter Lakai comes into the back row at No 6. The rampaging Wallace Sititi provides loose-forward cover.
The backline is unchanged, with Damian McKenzie again at fullback and Ruben Love at fly-half. Tupou Vaa’i – my pick for best All Black on tour – will win his 50th cap in his third jumper in three Tests, this time starting at 4.
New Zealand: 15 Damian McKenzie; 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leroy Carter; 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard; 1 George Bower, 2 Asafo Aumua, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 4 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Sam Darry, 6 Peter Lakai, 7 Luke Jacobson, 8 Ardie Savea (captain).
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Fabian Holland, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Josh Moorby.
South Africa team
It’s pretty much the same team that did the business in Cape Town last week with only the injured Damian Willemse missing.
The fullback took a knock late in the first half which means Cheslin Kolbe – player of the match in the second Test – shifts to fullback.
Kurt-Lee Arendse returns to slot in on the wing.
As far as we know, the starting front row will consist of Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche and Wilco Louw, but who knows. Maybe Rassie Erasmus will pull a late switch like he did in Cape Town.
South Africa: 15 Cheslin Kolbe; 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker; 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach; 1 Ox Nche, 2 Malcolm Marx, 3 Wilco Louw, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Ruan Nortje, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8 Jasper Wiese.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Manie Libbok.
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
Is this the most significant rugby match on South African soil for 31 years?
Back in 1995, the Springboks edged the All Blacks in extra time to win the World Cup for the first time. Nelson Mandela handed Francois Pienaar the Webb Ellis Cup. A country united. Clint Eastwood made a film about it.
The Boks have won three World Cups between then and now, but all have been on foreign land. And though there’ve been two British & Irish Lions tours in that time, there is a case to be made that this third Test of the self aggrandising Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour perhaps edges those meetings with the men from the Home Nations.
Because, let’s be frank, it’a New Zealand. It’s the All Blacks. It’s the Haka. It’s Jonah Lomu and the flour bombs in Auckland in 1981. It’s Sean Fitzpatrick thumping the ground in 1996 after a series win and it’s Ardie Savea’s face when Sam Cane copped a red card in 2023.
This is rugby’s greatest rivalry between the two best teams. And though there is officially a money-making fourth Test in Baltimore next week, this feels like the one that really matters. Whoever leaves South Africa with a 2-1 score in their favour will at least claim the moral victory whatever happens in the US.
Teams and further updates to come.
Kick-off at 5:10pm in Soweto, 4:10pm BST.
Sing out with any thoughts. I’d love to hear them via email.
