Eben Etzebeth out! Springboks forced into makeshift lock pairing while Willie le Roux omitted for All Blacks Test
Springboks lock Eben Etzebeth, who has been ruled out of All Blacks clash, and head coach Rassie Erasmus.
The Springboks’ lock stocks have taken another hit after Eben Etzebeth was ruled out of their Rugby Championship clash with the All Blacks at Ellis Park.
It was revealed on Monday that the 32-year-old was a doubt for Saturday’s game, but it has now been confirmed that he will miss the fixture after the matchday 23 was confirmed for this weekend’s encounter.
With Etzebeth joining RG Snyman, Lood de Jager and Franco Mostert – among others – on the sidelines, Rassie Erasmus has therefore been forced to bring Pieter-Steph du Toit into the second-row.
He will partner Ruan Nortje, who impressed against against the Wallabies in their previous Rugby Championship contest in Perth.
‘Not ideal’
“It’s not ideal that we have so many injuries at lock, but we are pleased with the way Ruan stood his man in our last match and we are confident that he’ll combine well with Pieter-Steph at lock,” Erasmus said.
“This will serve as a fantastic opportunity for him to prove what he can do against one of the best teams in the world.”
Despite their injury crisis at lock, it is South Africa’s only major concern with the rest of the pack looking incredibly strong as they prepare to face the All Blacks.
Contrary to reports on Sunday, Ox Nche will start – rather than dropping to the bench – and he will combine with Bongi Mbonambi and Frans Malherbe in the front-row.
Behind the tight five, the inexperienced Stormer, Ben-Jason Dixon, will fill Du Toit’s usual role at flanker with Jasper Wiese returning at number eight, while captain Siya Kolisi completes the loose trio.
Behind the scrum, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu continues at fly-half after impressing against the Wallabies and is partnered by Cobus Reinach.
In the midfield, there is the tried and tested Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel, with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe on the wings.
Willie le Roux misses out, however, as Aphelele Fassi completes the back three after shining in the victory over the Wallabies last time out.
“It’s also good to have a player of Jasper’s calibre back and we know that he’ll bring a lot of energy on attack and defence after biding his time to return to the field, and we are looking forward to seeing his physicality combined with the rest of the back row,” Erasmus added.
“We also have a settled backline, and Aphelele made a strong statement against the Wallabies in Perth, so we are excited to see what they have to offer against a heavily attack-orientated All Black backline.
“We’ve seen what most of these players can do under pressure in Australia, and we’re confident that they’ll want to build on that against the All Blacks.”
The Springboks have also named a strong bench, reverting to the 6-2 split with Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, Marco van Staden, Elrigh Louw and Kwagga Smith covering the forwards, while Grant Williams and Handre Pollard are the backline replacements.
“We’ve no doubt they’ll (All Blacks) come out guns blazing. They’ll want to build winning momentum after bouncing back against Argentina following their disappointing opening game, and the rivalry between the Boks and All Blacks will motivate them even more,” Erasmus said.
“There is also no doubt they’ll still be hurting from the Rugby World Cup final, and in addition to that they know how important a win will be to square things up and open up the Castle Lager Rugby Championship log.
“They’re a quality team with several players who have an X-factor and they constantly pose a threat to our defence, so we have to start well and be on the top of our game in all departments to try to build on what we have done in the competition so far.”
Springboks side to face All Blacks
Springboks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Marco van Staden, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Handre Pollard
Date: Saturday, August 31
Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 17:00 local time (16:00 BST, 15:00 GMT, 03:00 NZST)
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley (England), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
