All Blacks v Springboks preview: Scott Robertson’s troops to ‘prove too strong again’ in ‘tight affair’
All Blacks number eight Wallace Sititi and Springboks counterpart Jasper Wiese.
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry will resume on Saturday when old foes the All Blacks and Springboks go head-to-head in their Rugby Championship encounter at Sky Stadium in Wellington.
There was plenty of hype ahead of last weekend’s clash between these nations at Eden Park and although there is less fanfare before this encounter, there’s still plenty of interest in the match as this is a duel between the two most successful sides to compete at international level.
Heading into the encounter, the All Blacks have their tails up after they extended their unbeaten record at Eden Park to 51 Tests courtesy of their 24-17 triumph over the Springboks.
Apart from continuing with their impressive form at Eden Park, where they last tasted defeat in 1994, that result also had extra significance for the All Blacks due to the fact that it was their first triumph against the Springboks since 2023 after the current world champions won four successive meetings between these sides in 2023 and 2024.
That result was also noteworthy for the men in black’s head coach Scott Robertson as it was the first time since he took over the coaching reins from Ian Foster that he has been successful in a direct duel with Boks mentor Rassie Erasmus – the man who masterminded back-to-back World Cup triumphs for South Africa in 2019 and 2023.
Robertson has retained the bulk of his players who got the job done at Eden Park for this encounter although he has made some alterations and an interesting positional switch, which sees Will Jordan shifting from full-back to the right wing.
Meanwhile, Erasmus has rung the changes to his starting line-up with the big news being the return of hard running number eight Jasper Wiese, who comes straight into the starting line-up – a selection which sees Boks skipper Siya Kolisi moving to his usual spot on the flank.
Although there are several inexperienced players in the Boks’ starting XV, they are facing their arch rivals, and Erasmus’ troops can ill afford another defeat as it could mean the end of their chances of winning this year’s Rugby Championship.
The reverse is true for the All Blacks, and a victory on Saturday will boost their hopes of winning the prestigious Southern Hemisphere tournament again.
The All Blacks are currently sitting pretty atop the Rugby Championship standings with 10 points amassed, while the Wallabies are one point adrift in second position, with the Boks and Los Pumas have five points apiece.
Where the game will be won
If the All Blacks want to get the better of the Boks, they will have to continue where they left off last weekend by holding their own in the set-piece battle. A lot will depend on the scrums where the world champions have opted to stick with their front-row of Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Thomas du Toit with destructive scrummager Wilco Louw, somewhat surprisingly, retaining his spot on the replacements bench and not promoted to the starting line-up.
The Boks do have another powerful scrummager in Nche in their ranks but the All Blacks have bolstered their front-row by promoting star tighthead prop Tyrel Lomax to their run-on side and whoever gets the upper hand in the scrums will give their team-mates good momentum.
It’s a similar story in the lineouts where there will be plenty of pressure on Boks hooker Malcolm Marx after he battled to find his jumpers at the set-piece during the Eden Park clash. All Blacks lineout exponents like Tupou Vaa’i and captain Scott Barrett will be hoping to continue where they left off in last weekend’s encounter.
While it’s difficult to predict who will come out on top at the set-piece battle, what we do know is that whoever gains the upper hand in that department will make things easier for their playmakers and game-breakers out wide and both teams have some of the best players in those respective categories, with the Boks relying on the likes of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cheslin Kolbe, Damian Willemse and Cobus Reinach leading the way on attack while for the All Blacks players like Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Jordan and Jordie Barrett will be hoping to swing things in their favour.
Last time they met
What they said
After delivering an outstanding all-round performance en route to their victory over the Boks at Eden Park last week, All Blacks boss Robertson knows that they have to maintain their high standards from that encounter if they want another victory.
“The big thing for us is the acknowledgement of it. You’re up here and you’ve got to get back up there,” he said.
“What’s it going to take internally for us? What’s those drivers that get you there? And you’ve got to be there on Saturday.
“That’s the key thing, the timing of it, how you’re emotionally connected to this game. It’s a sold-out crowd, the Wellingtonians are going to be having long lunches, they’re going to be walking into the Cake Tin expecting another performance from us, just as we will from ourselves.”
Meanwhile, despite being under pressure to bounce back, new Springboks wing Ethan Hooker is looking forward to the challenge against the men in black.
“Everyone is a bit edgy, everyone is really keen to get onto the pitch and just express themselves, but I think combinations are working very well in training,” he said.
“The guys are linking up and we are not really feeling any pressure. We feel like we can express ourselves, and that’s a very good positive thing to take into this weekend.”
Players to watch
With first choice New Zealand hooker Codie Taylor not involved in this encounter, it means Samisoni Taukei’aho gets his chance to wear the All Blacks number two jersey. The 28-year-old played off the replacements bench in all three of the All Blacks’ previous Rugby Championship Tests – twice against Argentina and once against South Africa – but always impresses on attack, and he is currently the joint top try-scorer with Wallabies centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, after crossing the whitewash on three occasions. He will be determined to add to that tally.
Another player who will be keen to make an impact is Damian McKenzie, who has been rewarded with a spot in the starting line-up after coming on early as a replacement for Emoni Narawa at Eden Park. With McKenzie starting at full-back, the All Blacks will have two genuine playmakers on the field – alongside Beauden Barrett – and they will be eager to build on last week’s efforts when they kept the Boks on their toes with excellent attacking play. McKenzie is also expected to be the first-choice goal-kicker and will be hoping to keep the scoreboard ticking with his superb place-kicking.
One player who will, once again, be crucial to New Zealand’s cause is star loose forward Ardie Savea, who always empties the tank for the men in black. Brilliant on attack and defence, the former World Rugby Player of the Year will be at the forefront of the All Blacks’ onslaught and expect him to make an impact, whether that is with his excellent ball carrying or with some big hits to halt his opponents’ momentum.
Also keep an eye on new All Blacks flyer Leroy Carter, who will be making his Test debut in this encounter after Robertson selected him ahead of the vastly experienced Rieko Ioane, who has dropped out of the matchday squad. If truth be told, Ioane’s demotion was on the cards for a while now as he hasn’t been at his best this year. That means all eyes will be on Carter, who is a former New Zealand sevens representative and one of the Chiefs’ star performers during their 2025 Super Rugby Pacific campaign. Blessed with plenty of pace and a fine finisher, the 26-year-old will be determined to make full use of his opportunity at Test level.
If the Springboks want to return to the victory trail, then they will need senior players like captain Siya Kolisi, fellow flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit and Malcolm Marx to be at their best. Although Kolisi and Du Toit toiled manfully at Eden Park, the All Blacks’ loose forwards dominated the breakdowns, and the experienced duo will have to be more competitive in that department. Marx is usually also handy at the breakdown battle, and he will be highly motivated to make an impact there this weekend but he will also have to cut out the error rate in the implementation of his core duties, with his lineout throw-ins a facet of play which will have to improve if the Boks want to be victorious.
Meanwhile, Erasmus has opted to start young sensation Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at fly-half a role which is not unfamiliar to the 23-year-old, as he impressed when he wore the Boks’ number 10 jersey against the All Blacks in Johannesburg last year. Feinberg-Mngomezulu is blessed with a vast array of skills and will be expected to give his side momentum with his outstanding game management skills, while his goal-kicking will also have to be accurate if the visitors want to secure victory.
Main head-to-head
There are several mouth-watering battles set to take place across the park but the duel between the two number eights, New Zealand’s Wallace Sititi and South Africa’s Jasper Wiese should be one of the highlights of this Test. Although ex-All Blacks number eight Murray Mexted criticised Sititi’s performance at Eden Park, Robertson has stuck with the 2024 World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year at the base of a scrum. Sititi is a genuine threat on attack and has a high work-rate on defence, while he also makes his presence felt in the breakdown battle.
His direct opponent Wiese will be like a caged animal when he takes to the field on Saturday as he has been kicking his heels on the sidelines for the Boks’ three previous Rugby Championship Tests – against Argentina (twice) and New Zealand last week – as well as the July international against Georgia. This was due to a four-match suspension after he was red carded for foul play during a Test with Italy. Wiese is an excellent ball carrier and solid at the breakdowns and his return should give a more balanced look to the Boks’ back-row.
Springboks: ‘Frustrated’ Jasper Wiese ‘hungry’ for All Blacks showdown after ‘stupid’ ban
Prediction
After struggling for long periods during last weekend’s clash in Auckland, we expect South Africa to deliver a much-improved performance in Wellington, although New Zealand will continue with their impressive form and prove too strong again. It will be a tight affair, which goes down to the wire, but the All Blacks will win by three points.
Previous results
2025: New Zealand won 24-17 in Auckland
2024: South Africa won 18-12 in Cape Town
2024: South Africa won 31-27 in Johannesburg
2023: South Africa won 12-11 in Paris (RWC final)
2023: South Africa won 35-7 at Twickenham
2023: New Zealand won 35-20 in Auckland
2022: New Zealand won 35-23 in Johannesburg
2022: South Africa won 26-10 in Mbombela
The teams
All Blacks: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leroy Carter, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Noah Hotham, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements: 16 Brodie McAlister, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Fabian Holland, 20 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Quinn Tupaea, 23 Ruben Love
Springboks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Andre Esterhuizen
Date: Saturday, September 13
Venue: Sky Stadium, Wellington
Kick-off: 19:05 local (09:05 SAST, 08:05 BST, 07:05 GMT)
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (RA), Jordan Way (RA)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)
FPRO: Brett Cronan (RA)
READ MORE: How to watch All Blacks v Springboks: Live stream, team news and match details
