Rassie: Morne van den Berg earned a start for Springboks
· The South African
Rassie Erasmus has opted for continuity in selection after naming the Springbok team to face the All Blacks in the fourth Test of the series this Saturday.
With an eye on trying to clinch the series win in the USA, the only unenforced change sees Morne van den Berg receive a start, with Cobus Reinach switching to the replacements bench.
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“Morne made a fantastic impact when he took the field last week, and he deserves a chance to start, so Cobus switches to the bench where he will add experience and skill in this vital match,” Erasmus commented.
The Springbok also said he expected a massive backlash from the All Blacks this weekend, but added that his charges were prepared for another big battle.
“We have faced the All Blacks three weeks in a row, and just like us, they are a proud team who showed last week that they will never stop fighting until the final whistle, so we are under no illusions about the magnitude of the challenge ahead this weekend.
“That said, we are equally determined to finish the series strongly and give everything to lift the trophy, and the players are excited about the match.
“We have no doubt that it’s going to be another epic encounter that will require a full-blown 80-minute effort on attack and defence, so we will manage the players well this week to ensure that they are ready physically and mentally for Saturday.”
This Saturday’s Test will kick off at 23:00 (SA time).
HOW THE SPRINGBOKS WILL LINE UP
SPRINGBOKS – 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.
Bench: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 André Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Manie Libbok.
Springbok record against New Zealand:
Played: 113, Won: 45, Lost: 64, Drawn: 4. Points for: 1 928; Points against: 2 352; Tries scored: 188; Tries conceded: 261. Win %: 39,8%.
Miscellaneous:
- Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok player of all time to 146 caps when he takes the field.
- The loose trio of Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Jasper Wiese will extend the record they set last week to overtake Francois Louw, Willem Alberts, and Duane Vermeuelen (17) as the loose trio with the most Test starts to 19 matches.
- The Springboks have only played three Test matches in the USA in history where they defeated the USA 38-7 in 1981 and 43-10 in 2001, while they suffered a narrow 22-20 defeat against Wales in Washington DC in 2018, which was Erasmus’ first Test in charge as head coach.
- This match will mark the first Springbok Test in history to be played in Baltimore.
- Jasper Wiese requires only one more Test match appearance after this encounter to join the group of players who have earned 50 Test caps.
- The Springboks have won seven of the last nine matches against the All Blacks dating back to August 2023.
- The 2031 Rugby World Cup will be hosted in the USA.
- The total Test caps in the Springbok starting line-up is 927. There are 327 caps in the backline, with 600 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 277 caps.
- The average caps per player in the backline is 47, the forwards 75, while the players on the bench average 35.