The South Africa national rugby team (Springboks) meets New Zealand (All Blacks) in the 2nd Test of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday 29 August, kick-off 17:10 SAST. Rassie Erasmus named the matchday 23 on Monday 24 August, five days out, marking a return to the earlier team announcements the Boks used through 2023 and 2024. That timing is the story before the team sheet is.
The starting XV is: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Handrè Pollard, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (co-captain), 6 Siya Kolisi (subject to fitness test) or Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruan Nortjè, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nchè. The bench is: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Andrè Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Mornè van den Berg, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
The four calls that matter
Pollard starts at 10, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu covers the bench. That is the biggest tactical read on the team sheet. Pollard is the territorial fly-half. When he starts, the game plan is built around the exit kick, the corner-post lineout drive and the three points off the tee. Feinberg-Mngomezulu on the bench is the closer, not the opener. If you were expecting a Test built around wide ball and second-phase attack, this selection tells you otherwise.
Reinach starts at 9. Grant Williams is injured, which forces the change, but Reinach and Pollard as a halfback pair means the kicking game is the primary weapon. Van den Berg on the bench is the tempo-shift option in the last 20.
Ethan Hooker at 11 for Cheslin Kolbe on the wing. Kolbe is not in the 23. That is a size-and-carry call as much as a personnel one, and it tells you Erasmus expects the All Blacks to test the Bok back three under the high ball early. Hooker is the taller, heavier option.
Siya Kolisi at 6 is subject to a fitness test on Friday. Paul de Villiers is the direct replacement if Kolisi does not clear. Deon Fourie's return on the bench is the surprise call, and it gives Erasmus a second-hooker cover plus a loose-forward option if the game breaks up.
What the selection means for the game plan
This is a traditional Bok Test template. Territorial kicking from Pollard, a heavy scrum with Nchè, Marx and Louw, a lineout drive built around Etzebeth and Nortjè, and a loose-forward trio picked for work rate at the breakdown rather than ball-carrying. The bench is split 6-2 the traditional way, with Fourie, Steenekamp, du Toit, de Jager, Esterhuizen and Hanekom as forwards, and van den Berg and Feinberg-Mngomezulu as the backline cover.
The All Blacks have not named their side yet. New Zealand also plays the SA Lions in a midweek tour game on Tuesday 25 August at Ellis Park, four days before Cape Town. That fixture is the schedule constraint that shapes their selection window. Expect their team sheet on Thursday morning.
The betting angle
Markets on the 2nd Test have not opened at most South African books at the time of writing. When they open, the selection points to a low-scoring Test template. If you back the Boks at the current pre-match price when it appears, watch the totals line and the Bok handicap. A Pollard-Reinach halfback pair, a heavy pack and Hooker at 11 for a size-and-territory call all point to a match closer to 40 total points than 55. Do not lock a total before Friday. The fitness call on Kolisi and the All Blacks team sheet on Thursday can both move the number.
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Live kick-off and viewing
Kick-off is 17:10 SAST at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday 29 August. SuperSport holds the South African broadcast rights across the tour. DStv Premium and DStv Compact Plus carry the coverage. DStv Stream carries the online feed.
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