The Greatest Rivalry tour leaves the highveld for a football cathedral. South Africa hold the recent edge. New Zealand have made seven starting changes. Baltimore hosts the first rugby Test at M&T Bank Stadium, and neither side can treat it like an exhibition.
All Blacks vs Springboks: Baltimore Brawl for the Series
Fresh Pack, Familiar Foes, First-Time Venue
Venue: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore | Date/Time: Sunday 13 September, 7:00am AEST | Referee: Karl Dickson
The Lowdown
South Africa have barely blinked. Only two changes from last week: Damian Willemse comes in at fullback for the injured Cheslin Kolbe, and Morné van den Berg starts at scrumhalf with Cobus Reinach on the bench. Kolbe is one of six Springboks left in South Africa. The rest of the spine stays put. Eben Etzebeth, Malcolm Marx, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Siya Kolisi still run the collision game. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu keeps the 10 jersey while Manie Libbok waits among the finishers. Continuity is the selection, not a debate.
New Zealand have gone the other way. The latest All Blacks team announcement is a seven-change reset. Ardie Savea, Luke Jacobson and Quinn Tupaea are tour-ending injuries. Fabian Holland is ill. Codie Taylor returns as captain in a new front row with Ethan de Groot and Fletcher Newell. Patrick Tuipulotu starts in the second row, Tupou Vaa’i shifts to six, and Ethan Blackadder and Peter Lakai complete a rebuilt loose trio. Richie Mo’unga starts at 10. Anton Lienert-Brown partners Jordie Barrett. Josh Moorby takes the left wing. Beauden Barrett and Rieko Ioane are on the bench.
The recent ledger favours Pretoria’s lot. South Africa have won three of the last five meetings, with an average score of 28-23. The Boks have won four of their last five and sit on a two-win streak. The All Blacks have won three of five and are coming off two losses. The contest leans South Africa, but not by a blowout.
Selection talk on the New Zealand side is the familiar split: trust the caps in Taylor, the Barretts and Lienert-Brown, or go harder at form names such as Ioane, Love, Narawa, Tavatavanawai and Fineanganofo. On the Springbok side it is the same argument in reverse: keep the winning 23, or start Libbok and ask why Williams, Papier and Grobbelaar were omitted. None of that changes the job. A Springbok pack that has been winning the collisions meets an All Black side that has to find go-forward without Savea and score first.
Karl Dickson has the whistle for the first Test this ground has hosted. Stan Sport, Sky Sport and SuperSport carry it. If the rebuilt New Zealand pack cannot live in the same postcode as Marx, Etzebeth and du Toit, it will be a long morning in Queensland.
Prediction: Springboks by 7
Match Squads
All Blacks
1 Ethan de Groot (44), 2 Codie Taylor (111, captain), 3 Fletcher Newell (40), 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (58), 5 Sam Darry (11), 6 Tupou Vaa’i (50), 7 Ethan Blackadder (14), 8 Peter Lakai (13), 9 Cam Roigard (23), 10 Richie Mo’unga (56), 11 Josh Moorby (4), 12 Jordie Barrett (84), 13 Anton Lienert-Brown (93), 14 Will Jordan (60), 15 Damian McKenzie (80)
Reserves: 16 Asafo Aumua (25), 17 Xavier Numia (4), 18 Tyrel Lomax (54), 19 Josh Lord (16), 20 Wallace Sititi (22), 21 Kyle Preston (4), 22 Rieko Ioane (88), 23 Beauden Barrett (144)
Springboks
1 Ox Nché (51), 2 Malcolm Marx (92), 3 Wilco Louw (34), 4 Eben Etzebeth (145), 5 Ruan Nortjé (23), 6 Siya Kolisi (106, captain), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (101), 8 Jasper Wiese (48), 9 Morné van den Berg (9), 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (23), 11 Ethan Hooker (12), 12 Damian de Allende (102), 13 Jesse Kriel (93), 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse (34), 15 Damian Willemse (54)
Reserves: 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
The Springboks team is built to close the tour. New Zealand have the experience on paper to wreck that plan. One of those readings will be wrong by breakfast.
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What no live scores
Roigard had better not play-act like an Argie soccer player. Give him a red card if he brings the game into disrepute.
Agree whitey not a good role model
Whatabout Whataboutism? He’s a bloody good player off the bench when there’s no one else left.
Yes true
I am definitely not writing off the nuns.
I am very happy for blackadder, i am a massive fan of the lad.
another one of those that i would in green and gold and would be one of the first names on our team sheet (if fit) over the past 5 years.
Looking forward immensely to the game, glad it is sold out.
The effect of the abs is alive and kicking!
Best of luck to our brethren from over the ditch.
Go boks!!
9 and 10 are a massive risk for the SBs. Reinach and Libbok would be better starting
Good move by nz but will miss Quinns strong running, it’s a strong side.
But playing in some of these one off places hasn’t gone that well in the past for nz.
Thinking that nz can pull it off but not confident I will go nz by up to a few only because I’ve consistently said if nz win 2 it’s a pass for Rennie and new direction.
But probably the Boks will win who can say grasshopper.
Question – if nz win this do they take the series by points overall? If so thats great motivation for this test come on boys
You really are a womble aren’t you. Series aren’t decided on for and against, where do you come from? (Can you remember?)
OK a straight draw if nz unlikely win thats clarified thanks mirt.
I must say the personal attacks lately is very unlike you.
I will say it for the 20th time 2-2 is a good outcome for nz a pass and its possible not probable.
Farcanal take a chill pill better so go to the quacks and get a bucket because your going to need them and dont do anymore dodgy chook raffles
I actually hate any games whatever sport that use xtra time, at full time if scores are locked its a farcanal draw mirt. But people are allowed to ask for clarification on the small print
If NZ win the away goal rule will presumably give them the series?
Just asked about the points difference over the series as well Piru will that come into it
Well if NZ wins they’ll have the pts differential too
Wouldn’t that be a outcome , but is that the official line anyone ? Or is it set in stone if they pull of a win its officially a draw ? Wich is good enough
not sure Piru, what i did hear on a podcast is that actual trophy is two pieces connected by a a magnet, which is novel, so seems as they are adapting from the abs/lions 2017 situation.
Looks like Erasmus said “well this seemed to work” andvRennie said “ feck, what now”
He’s happy to change it up give it a crack for a crucial game and quality players worth a crack nige, considering injures over the series i like it
I was hoping that Jordie Barrett got the captaincy
I am a big of JB crow. Obviously the powers that be see and know much more than us. But for me he seems to be one of those guys like who eales and noddy etc who dont yell and scream and just speak when value will be added.
the fact that he is arguably their best player also doesn´t hurt.
All class what a player hes turned into over the years