South Africa and New Zealand renew hostilities this weekend, as they play the second Test of their Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in Cape Town on Saturday.
The pair go again at the sold out DHL Stadium seven days after a bruising opening encounter in Johannesburg.
It left the All Blacks with the early initiative in the four-match series – and with the Boks having little room left for error in the Mother City.
International Rugby: South Africa vs New Zealand – kick off 17.10 SAST
It’s game two of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, as the Springboks and All Blacks collide in Cape Town on Saturday.
South Africa come into the contest smarting, too, following a chastening 16-33 loss in last weekend’s opening fixture at Ellis Park.
A scruffy first half followed months of chat between the two nations, with the Boks in particular guilty of a string of handling errors in Johannesburg that proved to cost them dearly.
Winger Will Jordan provided two of the tourists’ five tries, including one at the death to put the tin hat on an opening performance, with home replacements Marco van Staden and Cobus Reinach both sat in the sin bin.
Revenge is on the minds of Rassie Erasmus and Co, then, with the Cape clash followed without pause for breath by a trip to Soweto’s FNB Stadium then across the Atlantic Ocean to Baltimore for games three and four.
Erasmus delivered his oft-used trick of naming the next week’s starting XV before the dust had even settled on the opening fixture.
And, true to form, that meant further changes later in the week, as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu wormed his way back into the run-on team following a training injury to Handre Pollard on Wednesday, with Manie Libbok brought back on to the bench.
Cheslin Kolbe is also restored to the wing, with Kurt-Lee Arendse not risked after all having suffered a concussion last weekend.
No such drama among the pack, with double World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi starting on the blindside, Eben Etzebeth his usual daunting presence and Malcolm Marx at hooker.
Ethan de Groot is a concussion casualty for the All Blacks, who bring in George Bower to start in the front row in his place following a bright performance a week ago.
There’s also a shift to lock for Tupou Vaa’i as Josh Lord continues his own HIA protocols, meaning Simon Parker earns a start on the flank.
Leroy Carter is the sole backline swap as New Zealand set out to make it two from two, coming in on the wing to leave Josh Moorby among the replacements.
Which players are in the teams for Springboks vs All Blacks on Saturday?
The squads are as follows for Saturday’s fixture.
South Africa Starting XV: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain), 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
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 Starting XV: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leroy Carter, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (captain), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Fabian Holland, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 George Bower.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Patrick Tuipoluto, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Josh Moorby.
What are the score predictions and key stats for SA vs New Zealand on Saturday?
| Stat | South Africa | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| World Ranking | 2nd (92.21 pts) | 1st (94.03 pts) |
| Last 10 Tests | W9 D0 L1 | W9 D0 L1 |
| Current Streak | Lost last 1 (12-match streak ended) | Won last 5, chasing 6th straight |
| Head-to-Head (all-time) | SA 43 – NZ 64 – Draw 4 (Played 111) | |
| Last 10 Meetings | South Africa won 6 of 10 | |
| Record at DHL Stadium, Cape Town | Won last 5 straight (lost only opener, 2021) | |
| Biggest Recent Win | South Africa 43-10 (Wellington, 13 Sep 2025) | |
| Referee Record (Angus Gardner) | W8 L5 in 13 tests with Gardner | Won 12 of 16 tests with Gardner |
| Head Coach | Rassie Erasmus (27-5 in 2nd spell, 84.4%) | Dave Rennie (unbeaten since March 2026) |
| Milestone Watch | Pieter-Steph du Toit — 100th cap | Will Jordan — All Blacks’ all-time try record (53 in 58 tests) |