Springboks vs All Blacks Test 3 Preview

Soweto Siege: Battle at Altitude for Series Supremacy

Venue: FNB Stadium, Johannesburg | Date/Time: Sun 6 Sep, 01:10am AEST | Referee: Nika Amashukeli

The Lowdown

The greatest rivalry in rugby history moves to Johannesburg for an epic series decider on South African soil before heading across the Atlantic to the USA. With the series locked at 1-1 following South Africa’s 33-26 rebound in Cape Town, the stage is set at the imposing 80,000-seat FNB Stadium in Soweto. Expect a deafening roar of vuvuzelas and a brutal physical battle at 6,600 feet above sea level.

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has shuffled his cards, making four changes to the starting XV and one key positional switch. The devastating front-row combination of Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, and Wilco Louw returns to start, relegating Gerhard Steenekamp, Deon Fourie, and Thomas du Toit to the bomb squad bench. A hamstring injury to Damian Willemse forced Erasmus to shift Cheslin Kolbe to fullback, opening the wing for lethal finisher Kurt-Lee Arendse, who boasts an astonishing 25 tries in 33 Test caps. With Handre Pollard still sidelined, young gun Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu retains the No. 10 jersey. Lock Eben Etzebeth extends his record as the most capped Springbok of all time with 145 appearances, while the starting loose trio of Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Jasper Wiese link up for a record 17th time as a unit. Check out the latest Springboks team announcement for full squad details.

Over in the New Zealand camp, head coach Dave Rennie made three major changes to his forward pack. In a massive call, Codie Taylor drops out of the matchday 23 entirely, paving the way for Asafo Aumua to bring his abrasive carrying power to the starting hooker spot directly against Malcolm Marx. Sam Darry earns a starting second-row berth alongside Tupou Vaa’i, who reaches his milestone 50th Test cap. Explosive flanker Peter Lakai gets his first starting opportunity of the series at blindside, joining Luke Jacobson and captain Ardie Savea. The All Blacks backline remains settled with Cam Roigard, Ruben Love, and Will Jordan, who earns his 60th cap, while Damian McKenzie lines up for his 80th appearance at fullback. Dive into the official All Blacks team selection to review their full lineup.

The All Blacks hold a historically clean record at FNB Stadium with victories in 2010 and 2012, and they have outscored the Boks 33-12 across combined second halves in this series. However, the Springbok front-row depth and the intimidating atmosphere in Soweto give the home side a psychological edge in the tight loose.

Prediction

Expect a relentless physical battle at altitude. While New Zealand has controlled large patches of possession in this series, the Springboks starting front row power and electric backline counters will prove too much in the final quarter before a raucous home crowd.

Prediction: South Africa by 6

Match Squads

South Africa:

1. Ox Nche
2. Malcolm Marx
3. Wilco Louw
4. Eben Etzebeth
5. Ruan Nortje
6. Siya Kolisi (c)
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit
8. Jasper Wiese
9. Cobus Reinach
10. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
11. Ethan Hooker
12. Damian de Allende
13. Jesse Kriel
14. Kurt-Lee Arendse
15. Cheslin Kolbe

Replacements: 16. Deon Fourie 17. Gerhard Steenekamp 18. Thomas du Toit 19. Lood de Jager 20. Andre Esterhuizen 21. Cameron Hanekom 22. Morne van den Berg 23. Manie Libbok

New Zealand:

1. George Bower
2. Asafo Aumua
3. Tyrel Lomax
4. Tupou Vaa’i
5. Sam Darry
6. Peter Lakai
7. Luke Jacobson
8. Ardie Savea (c)
9. Cam Roigard
10. Ruben Love
11. Leroy Carter
12. Jordie Barrett
13. Quinn Tupaea
14. Will Jordan
15. Damian McKenzie

Replacements: 16. Samisoni Taukei’aho 17. Xavier Numia 18. Fletcher Newell 19. Fabian Holland 20. Wallace Sititi 21. Kyle Preston 22. Anton Lienert-Brown 23. Josh Moorby