Damian de Allende will become the 10th Springbok centurion at Ellis Park on Saturday after Rassie Erasmus named his matchday 23 for the opening Test of the inaugural Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu keeps the No 10 jersey and Pieter-Steph du Toit captains the side. It is the first of four Tests, and New Zealand’s first full tour of South Africa in 30 years.
Erasmus held the announcement back to Thursday afternoon, two days out from kick-off, having named his teams on a Monday or Tuesday for every other Test this season. The side he settled on mixes continuity from the win over Argentina with the large group who stayed behind in Johannesburg to prepare specifically for the All Blacks.
De Allende, first capped against the Pumas in 2014, lines up alongside Jesse Kriel in what is already the most-capped centre partnership in Springbok history.
Springboks team to face the All Blacks
| No | Position | Player | Club | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loosehead prop | Ox Nche | Hollywoodbets Sharks | 48 |
| 2 | Hooker | Malcolm Marx | Kubota Spears | 89 |
| 3 | Tighthead prop | Wilco Louw | DHL Stormers | 31 |
| 4 | Lock | Eben Etzebeth | Hollywoodbets Sharks | 142 |
| 5 | Lock | Ruan Nortje | Kubota Spears | 20 |
| 6 | Flank | Paul de Villiers | DHL Stormers | 3 |
| 7 | Flank | Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain) | Toyota Verblitz | 98 |
| 8 | No 8 | Jasper Wiese | Urayasu D-Rocks | 46 |
| 9 | Scrum-half | Grant Williams | Kobe Steelers | 30 |
| 10 | Fly-half | Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu | DHL Stormers | 20 |
| 11 | Wing | Kurt-Lee Arendse | Mitsubishi Dynaboars | 32 |
| 12 | Inside centre | Damian de Allende | Wild Knights | 99 |
| 13 | Outside centre | Jesse Kriel | Canon Eagles | 90 |
| 14 | Wing | Cheslin Kolbe | DHL Stormers | 50 |
| 15 | Full-back | Damian Willemse | DHL Stormers | 52 |
Replacements
| No | Player | Club | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Jan-Hendrik Wessels | Vodacom Bulls | 13 |
| 17 | Gerhard Steenekamp | Vodacom Bulls | 19 |
| 18 | Zachary Porthen | DHL Stormers | 6 |
| 19 | Cobus Wiese | Vodacom Bulls | 5 |
| 20 | Andre Esterhuizen | Hollywoodbets Sharks | 31 |
| 21 | Marco van Staden | Vodacom Bulls | 36 |
| 22 | Cobus Reinach | DHL Stormers | 53 |
| 23 | Manie Libbok | Kintetsu Liners | 30 |
