Rassie Erasmus made four changes. Then he picked the most experienced side in Springboks history.
The South Africa team 2nd Test selection to face New Zealand carries 1,012 Test caps in the starting XV — more than any South African side ever fielded — with a 39-year-old on the bench and Pieter-Steph du Toit captaining on his 100th cap. Beaten by a younger, faster All Blacks team last Saturday, Erasmus has responded by going older.
That is either conviction or a very expensive bluff. Cape Town settles it.
The four changes, and what each one admits
Two of them Erasmus did not choose. Cheslin Kolbe and Grant Williams both picked up niggles at Ellis Park and were unavailable, which is how Ethan Hooker gets a start on the left wing with ten caps to his name and Kurt-Lee Arendse shifts across to the right.
The other two are decisions.
Handré Pollard comes in at No.10, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu dropping to the bench. Cobus Reinach takes the No.9 jersey. That is 141 caps of halfback pairing replacing a combination that had the All Blacks under scrum pressure for an hour and could not turn it into points.
Erasmus was direct about the thinking. “Handré has delivered for us under extreme pressure,” he said at the team announcement, framing the split as deliberate — Pollard and Reinach to start, Morné van den Berg and Feinberg-Mngomezulu to change the picture later.
The fourth change is the one still moving. Siya Kolisi is bracketed alongside Paul de Villiers at blindside, pending training. “We have bracketed Siya alongside Paul to allow us time to monitor how Siya comes through training this week,” Erasmus said.
If Kolisi runs, the loose trio reads Kolisi, du Toit, Jasper Wiese. That is 249 caps across three men.
1,012 caps is a decision, not an accident
Add the starting XV up and the number is absurd. Backline: 428 caps, averaging 61 each. Forwards: 584 caps, averaging 73. Total 1,012 — the highest South Africa has ever put on a field.
Eben Etzebeth extends his all-time record to 144 on Saturday. Damian de Allende plays his 101st, seven days after his 100th. Du Toit becomes the eleventh Springbok centurion, thirteen years after debuting against Wales in 2013 — the second in as many weeks. Ox Nche reaches 50.
| Caps | Average | |
|---|---|---|
| Backline (9–15) | 428 | 61 |
| Forwards (1–8) | 584 | 73 |
| Starting XV | 1,012 | 67 |
| Bench (16–23) | 204 | 26 |
Every player in the 23 except one featured in the last two Tests, against Argentina and at Ellis Park. Erasmus called that continuity valuable. The squad, in his framing, is not the thing that broke.
One could see the hurt on everyone’s faces after Saturday’s match.
Rassie Erasmus, at the second Test team announcement, via SA Rugby
The 39-year-old wearing 16
Deon Fourie is the exception, and the most extraordinary name on the sheet.
He has not worn the green and gold since the 2023 World Cup final. That match was against New Zealand. South Africa won it 12-11. If he takes the field on Saturday he becomes the oldest Springbok in history at 39, passing Victor Matfield and Schalk Brits, who were both 38 in their final Tests.
A hooker recalled after three years, to face the same opponent he last played, in a must-win match. Erasmus has never been subtle about symbolism.
The counter-case: experience is why they win
The obvious criticism writes itself. New Zealand outran South Africa at Ellis Park, so picking an older team looks like solving the wrong problem.
Except the record argues back. South Africa have won five of the last seven meetings with the All Blacks dating to August 2023. The last time these teams met in Cape Town, in 2024, the Springboks won 18-12. Across 111 Tests the head-to-head still reads 43 wins to 64 with four draws, a 37.7% return this generation has been steadily improving on.
And Erasmus has been explicit that the failure was execution, not personnel. “We created so many chances, but mistakes at crucial times cost us,” he said. Fix the finishing and you do not need to rebuild the team.
Dave Rennie will have watched the announcement and drawn his own conclusion: the Springboks are doubling down on exactly what he beat.
What the South Africa team 2nd Test selection risks
Lose in Cape Town and South Africa cannot win the series. That is the whole of it. Two Tests would remain, including the fixture in the United States, but the trophy in the first traditional All Blacks tour to South Africa since 1996 would be gone by the end of August.
Erasmus says the squad has regrouped and identified what to fix. Saturday at 17h10 is where that claim gets tested against a team that has not lost all year.
South Africa team 2nd Test: the full matchday 23
15 Damian Willemse · 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse · 13 Jesse Kriel · 12 Damian de Allende · 11 Ethan Hooker · 10 Handré Pollard · 9 Cobus Reinach · 8 Jasper Wiese · 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain) · 6 Siya Kolisi / Paul de Villiers · 5 Ruan Nortje · 4 Eben Etzebeth · 3 Wilco Louw · 2 Malcolm Marx · 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie · 17 Gerhard Steenekamp · 18 Thomas du Toit · 19 Lood de Jager · 20 Andre Esterhuizen · 21 Cameron Hanekom · 22 Morné van den Berg · 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
Read next
- The call Rassie Erasmus made on his bench that nobody is talking about
- Why Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu starting at 23 is the real selection story
- Eben Etzebeth reaches 144, and the record he can still put out of reach
1,012 caps against a team that has not lost this year. Is Rassie backing his best players, or refusing to admit the problem?
South Africa team 2nd Test: your questions answered
What is the South Africa team for the 2nd Test against the All Blacks?
Erasmus named an unchanged pack apart from No.6, where Siya Kolisi is bracketed with Paul de Villiers. Handré Pollard and Cobus Reinach start at halfback, Ethan Hooker comes in on the wing, and Pieter-Steph du Toit captains on his 100th cap.
How many changes did Rassie Erasmus make?
Four to the starting XV: Kolisi (pending fitness) for Paul de Villiers, Pollard for Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Reinach for Grant Williams, and Hooker for Cheslin Kolbe, with Kurt-Lee Arendse switching from left wing to right.
Why are Cheslin Kolbe and Grant Williams not playing?
Both picked up niggles in the first Test at Ellis Park and were ruled out of selection contention, according to Rassie Erasmus at the team announcement on 24 August 2026.
How experienced is this Springboks side?
With Kolisi starting, the XV carries 1,012 Test caps, the most South Africa has ever fielded. The backline holds 428 caps and the forwards 584, with a further 204 on the bench.
When and where is the second Test?
Saturday 29 August 2026 at DHL Stadium, Cape Town, kicking off at 17h10 and broadcast live on SuperSport. It is the second Test of the Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
