All Blacks v Springboks teams: Five takeaways as key New Zealand ‘weakness’ remains but pack could ‘wreak havoc’ on ‘unbalanced’ Boks
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson and Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus, who have named their teams for the Eden Park clash.
Following the announcement of the All Blacks and Springboks teams for the huge Rugby Championship clash, here are our five takeaways from their selections.
Ditching the Bomb Squad
For the 2023 World Cup final, the Springboks decided to go with a 7-1 bench split and then in their first match against the All Blacks in the 2024 Rugby Championship they opted for a 6-2, but since then Rassie Erasmus has gone for the traditional 5-3.
In fact, it means that in two of the past three matches, South Africa have gone for a more even split between forwards and backs, having done so versus the Wallabies in Johannesburg. Of course, that rather backfired on the Boks as their desire to play a high tempo game came back to bite.
Does that therefore mean a change in direction for the visitors and that the Bomb Squad is now redundant? Equally, are South Africa looking to increase the pace and be more adventurous at Eden Park? Well, the answer to both those questions is probably, ‘no’.
As Erasmus has always done, team selection is partially determined on their next opponents and the head coach feels that they may need a bit more magic behind the scrum against their greatest rivals.
However, it does not necessarily mean they will be more expansive. While the head coach stated in his press conference that they need to score tries to win, they will almost certainly not repeat what they did at Ellis Park. Don’t worry, there will be scrums, mauls and kicking aplenty from the Springboks.
Giving inexperience a chance
There must have been a temptation to play it very safe from both coaches and, granted, the respective teams are packed with experience, but Scott Robertson and Erasmus have both thrown in a couple of surprises.
Keeping Simon Parker in the XV was one of those brave calls. Bringing Wallace Sititi in at number eight and having Tupou Vaa’i on the blindside, where he has impressed in 2025, seemed to be the most predictable option, but instead it is Fabian Holland that has made way. That is not a slight on the 22-year-old Holland, who is now on the bench, but merely shows how highly rated Parker is, even if he has only garnered one cap.
Another big call is the decision to select Emoni Narawa over the experienced Sevu Reece, with the wing axed from the 23 altogether. Robertson has previously been reluctant to play Narawa but, following Reece’s performance against Argentina in Buenos Aires, the All Blacks boss felt that he needed to make the call. Keeping Reece would have been the more conservative option, but the Chiefs star has been given a chance despite the magnitude of the occasion.
As for the Boks, Erasmus is never afraid of making a bold decision and there are some intriguing selections, starting with Thomas du Toit at tighthead. Du Toit has found it difficult to get consistent game time at Test level but, after impressing against the Wallabies, the Bath star has been entrusted for Saturday’s huge encounter.
That is also the case for Ruan Nortje, who earned his first cap in 2022 but will only reach double figures in Auckland. However, Nortje has had a fine 2025 for the Springboks so far and he will be the key component in the lineout this weekend as they look to avoid the set-piece issues they had in Johannesburg.
Should Du Toit and Nortje do their jobs well then that will make it easier for Ethan Hooker should he make it onto the field. Hooker is a massive talent, but realistically few expected him to be involved on Saturday. However, Erasmus is always willing to throw a curveball and this time it is the 22-year-old versatile back who is equally effective at either centre or wing.
Front-row battle
It is just as well that the Springboks have depth at prop as the injuries to Gerhard Steenekamp and Frans Malherbe, as well as the enforced retirement of Steven Kitshoff, would have tested most teams, but it hasn’t really made a dent in the South African ranks. It did of course result in a typical Erasmus left-field call in the form of Edinburgh’s Boan Venter, but the decision to bring him in has worked out well so far.
Their starting front-row trio of Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Du Toit remains imposing, while on the bench Wilco Louw has taken his incredible form from Super Rugby into the Test arena. There is perhaps slightly more doubt about Venter at the very highest level given his shock selection but they will still dominate most teams in the set-piece.
However, the All Blacks themselves have built a healthy scrummaging stock and now rival the Boks in having the best front-row units in the world. While we give the edge to visitors’ starters, Ethan de Groot, Codie Taylor and Fletcher Newell have proven to be an excellent trio already this season, and then on the bench they have Tamaiti Williams, Samisoni Taukei’aho and the returning Tyrel Lomax to come on. It should be an intriguing battle.
All Blacks weakness remains
Robertson would not risk making too many changes behind the scrum, which could lead to more disruption in attack, but we’re not sure the inclusion of Narawa will entirely solve their aerial problems. The 26-year-old has good skills but he is not renowned for his ability in the air and the Springboks will seek to test him with a few box-kicks and ‘up and unders’.
As for Rieko Ioane, more time in the left-wing saddle should certainly help the Blues man, while the extra training week gives the All Blacks time to devise a plan to defuse the Boks bombs, but with every unconvincing performance from Ioane, you feel Robertson is getting closer to pulling the trigger.
He therefore needs a massive game on Saturday. Ioane is certainly not short on confidence and the 28-year-old has immense belief in his own ability, but that will only get you so far if you’re executing the key skills required of a modern wing.
Pack balance
We’ve already mentioned the decision to retain Parker and we ultimately think it’s the right decision, despite the unfortunate Holland being moved to the bench. Vaa’i has done a good job on the blindside but, alongside Scott Barrett, those two formed an excellent lock partnership in 2024 and it makes that front five stronger.
In the back-row, Parker is your archetypal modern day blindside, given his height, mobility, power and effectiveness at close quarters. Alongside Ardie Savea and Sititi, they have a very well talented loose trio and one that could wreak havoc at Eden Park.
When you compare it to the Springboks pack, the visitors just seem to lack a bit of balance up front. That is not to say the All Blacks have a huge advantage but Erasmus will probably rue injuries and suspensions at number eight which have perhaps unsettled that unit.
In May, they had a plethora of options but Cameron Hanekom firstly went down before Jasper Wiese got himself red carded and has been forced to sit out four matches on the sidelines. Jean-Luc du Preez was then scheduled to start against both the Wallabies and New Zealand, only for illness and injury to deny him.
As a result, Siya Kolisi, who himself was an injury doubt during the week, has been forced to feature at number eight. While it is not alien to him – he played there all season for the Sharks – Erasmus would have probably liked a bigger ball carrier to complement the talents of Marco van Staden and Pieter-Steph du Toit.
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