Steven Kitshoff’s Predicted XV to
Rassie Erasmus names the Springbok team for Saturday on Monday 17 August. Until he does, the most interesting XV in circulation belongs to a man who packed down in two World Cup-winning front rows.
Steven Kitshoff picked his side on this week’s For The Love Of Rugby: South Africa podcast. He got through 14 of the 15 and then stopped, because he would not call the second wing.
South Africa face New Zealand at Ellis Park on Saturday 22 August, kick-off 17:10 SAST. This page is updated the moment the official side is confirmed.
Kitshoff’s predicted Springbok team for Saturday
This is a prediction, not the official team. Kitshoff won 83 caps at loosehead and retired in February 2025.
| No | Position | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loosehead prop | Ox Nche (if fit) |
| 2 | Hooker | Malcolm Marx |
| 3 | Tighthead prop | Thomas du Toit |
| 4 | Lock | Ruan Nortje |
| 5 | Lock | not named |
| 6 | Blindside flanker | Paul de Villiers |
| 7 | Openside flanker | Pieter-Steph du Toit |
| 8 | No 8 | Jasper Wiese |
| 9 | Scrum-half | Cobus Reinach |
| 10 | Fly-half | Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu |
| 11 | Wing | not named |
| 12 | Inside centre | Damian de Allende |
| 13 | Outside centre | Jesse Kriel |
| 14 | Wing | Cheslin Kolbe |
| 15 | Full-back | Damian Willemse |
The three calls Kitshoff would not make
The front row is conditional. He picked Nche only if the loosehead is fit, which tells you how much of the Springbok scrum runs through one man.
He named one lock and moved on. Nortje was singled out for his Nations Championship and URC form. The partner was left open, which with Eben Etzebeth available is less an oversight than a shrug.
He refused the second wing. Kolbe is settled on one flank. For the other he floated Canan Moodie and Ethan Hooker, then declined to choose. It is the one selection where a supporter’s guess is worth as much as an 83-cap Springbok’s.
No Siya Kolisi, and no captain named
Siya Kolisi is absent from the XV, and it is a fitness question rather than a form one. He limped out of the 17-10 win over Argentina on 9 August with a recurring hamstring problem, the opposite leg to the one that kept him out of three Nations Championship matches. Erasmus said the following day that it did not look too bad, pending scans.
Kitshoff did not treat the No 6 shirt as Kolisi’s to reclaim. He put Stormers loose forward Paul de Villiers there on merit after his Nations Championship run.
As of 13 August no captain had been named, with Pieter-Steph du Toit, Etzebeth and Kriel reported as the options.
Where other predictions differ
Kitshoff is not the only one guessing. UK site Ruck published its own predicted XV on 11 August with a back line that agrees with his almost entirely: Willemse at 15, Kolbe on a wing, Kriel and de Allende in midfield, Feinberg-Mngomezulu at 10 and Reinach at 9.
The one place it goes further is the shirt Kitshoff would not fill. Ruck put Kurt-Lee Arendse on the other wing.
That two independent predictions land on the same nine or ten names tells you how settled this side has become. The argument is about three shirts, not fifteen.
All Blacks team news
Dave Rennie names New Zealand on Thursday 20 August. Scrum-half Cam Roigard and full-back Will Jordan are both carrying knocks and have not played on tour. Wing Caleb Clarke is out of the tour with a shoulder injury requiring surgery, and Damian McKenzie is a doubt after turning an ankle.
The tourists arrive unbeaten, having beaten the Stormers, the Sharks and the Bulls, the last of those 50-19 at Loftus Versfeld. How they intend to attack the Springbok blitz defence is the tactical question of the week.
The rest of the series
| Test | Date | Venue | Kick-off (SAST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Sat 22 August | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | 17:10 |
| Second | Sat 29 August | Cape Town Stadium | 17:10 |
| Third | Sat 5 September | FNB Stadium, Soweto | 17:10 |
| Fourth | Sat 12 September | M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore | 23:00 |
Fixtures, results and standings are in our Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry hub.
Springbok team for Saturday: quick answers
When is the Springbok team for Saturday announced?
Monday 17 August, four days before kick-off. The All Blacks side follows on Thursday 20 August.
Is Siya Kolisi in the Springbok team for Saturday?
He is a doubt with a recurring hamstring injury from the Argentina Test on 9 August. Kitshoff left him out of his predicted XV and picked Paul de Villiers at No 6.
What time do the Springboks play on Saturday?
17:10 SAST at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, on Saturday 22 August 2026. That is 16:10 in the UK and 03:10 on Sunday in New Zealand.
Last updated 16 August 2026. Steven Kitshoff was speaking on For The Love Of Rugby: South Africa. Fixture detail via SA Rugby and The Citizen.
