South Africa and New Zealand have just cranked up the heat, as we head into round three of their Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
The Boks hit back in Cape Town a week ago to avenge their opening defeat to the All Blacks at Ellis Park,
Now two leading rugby nations collide at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, setting out to take an unassailable lead in the four-match series before next weekend’s grand finale in Baltimore, USA.
International Rugby: South Africa vs New Zealand – kick off 17.10 SAST
It’s all to play for in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in Soweto on Saturday, as the Springboks go for glory against the All Blacks at the FNB Stadium.
A monster contest greets fans at the massive arena, rebuilt for the 2010 Fifa Football World Cup, with the victors knowing they will put the series out of reach for their opponent.
The Southern Hemisphere giants have traded a pair of hefty blows so far.
Cheslin Kolbe’s kicking masterclass ensured the Boks had just enough to hold on for a 33-26 victory at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium last weekend.
An opening try inside two minutes from Jesse Kriel gave the hosts lift-off just moments after a frankly terrifying Airlink flypast that saw two planes almost scrape the arena roof.
But the All Blacks played their full part in another absorbing contest to push Rassie Erasmus and Co all the way.
It was the ideal follow up to the opening Test a fortnight ago, where the tourists had triumphed 33-16 in Johannesburg, aided in no small part by a string of handling errors from those in green and gold.
A refreshed front row sees the inclusion of props Ox Nche and Wilco Louw, either side of Malcolm Marx at hooker.
That leaves Gerhard Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit and Deon Fourie among the replacements.
Damian Willemse misses out after suffering a knock last weekend, which means a switch to full back for Cheslin Kolbe as Kurt-Lee Arendse slots in on the wing.
All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has also made a front row change, with Asafo Aumua coming in at hooker.
Lock Sam Darry earns a start, with Peter Lakai on the blindside and Wallace Sititi waiting in reserve.
South Africa Starting XV: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 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, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 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 Peter Lakai, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Tupou Vaa’i, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 George Bower.
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Fabian Holland, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Josh Moorby.
South Africa vs New Zealand: Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry third Test prediction
New Zealand to beat South Africa by 15 points or less
Predicted score: South Africa 21-26 New Zealand
South Africa arrive in Soweto with a wafer-thin 0.54-point world ranking lead (93.39 to 92.85), and history at FNB Stadium favours the visitors — New Zealand have won both previous meetings here, 29-22 in 2010 and 32-16 in 2012. A New Zealand win of any margin would also make rankings history, marking the first time since 2003 that the No.1 spot has changed hands three weeks running.
The series is level after New Zealand snapped South Africa’s 12-match winning run with a 33-16 win at Ellis Park, before the Springboks hit back 33-26 in Cape Town — the first defeat of Dave Rennie’s tenure since taking over in March. Referee Nika Amashukeli, who takes charge of this fixture for the second time, previously oversaw South Africa’s 43-10 rout of the All Blacks in Wellington last year. With a series finale still to come in Baltimore on 12 September, expect New Zealand to respond with intent rather than run away with it.
South Africa v New Zealand — By the Numbers
| Stat | South Africa | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| World Ranking | 1st (93.39 pts) | 2nd (92.85 pts) |
| Last 10 Tests | W9 D0 L1 | W8 D0 L2 |
| Series Score (this tour) | 1-1 — NZ won Test 1 (33-16), SA won Test 2 (33-26) | |
| Head-to-Head (all-time) | SA 44 – NZ 64 – Draw 4 (Played 112) | |
| Record at FNB Stadium | SA 0 – NZ 2 | |
| Referee Record (Amashukeli) | W3 L1 | W3 L2 |
| Head Coach | Rassie Erasmus (28-5 in 2nd spell) | Dave Rennie (first loss last week) |
| Predicted Result | South Africa 21-26 New Zealand | |