SOUTH AFRICA v NEW ZEALAND – DHL STADIUM, CAPE TOWN – KO 5pm (local time)
Referee
Matthew Carley (England)
Test debut: 8 March, 2014 – Russia 34-18 Portugal
Tests as referee: 41
Matthew Carley will take charge of this fixture for the third time, having overseen South Africa’s 31-29 victory on Australia’s Gold Coast in 2021 and the record 35-7 win at Twickenham in August 2023.
Carley was also an assistant referee for the Rugby World Cup 2023 final in France.
This will be the second time he referees the Springboks at DHL Stadium, having been in the middle for their 30-14 defeat of Wales in 2022.
South Africa have won six of their seven Tests with Carley as referee, their only loss coming 30-17 against Australia in 2021.
They also lost 28-26 to the Wallabies when Carley was Television Match Official in the 2021 Rugby Championship.
This will be the second time that Carley referees New Zealand in 2024, having been in the middle for their 47-5 victory over Fiji in San Diego, USA, in July.
New Zealand have a W4, L2 record with Carley as referee with a 96-17 defeat of Italy at RWC 2023 their most emphatic victory and a 22-17 win over Scotland in November 2017 their tightest win.
Head-to-head
Points for: South Africa 1 772 / New Zealand 2 223 (Avg. score: 16-21)
Highest score: South Africa 46 (46-40 on 19 August, 2000) / New Zealand 57 (57-15 on 8 October, 2016 and 57-0 on 16 September, 2017)
Biggest winning margin: South Africa 28 (35-7 on 25 August, 2023) / New Zealand 57 (57-0 on 16 September, 2017)
First met: 13 August, 1921 – New Zealand 13-5 South Africa – Carisbrook, Dunedin
Last met: 31 August, 2024 - South Africa 31-27 New Zealand – Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Head-to-head notes
South Africa secured a thrilling 31-27 win in last weekend’s encounter at Emirates Airline Park after replacement scrumhalf Grant Williams scored late on.
The Springboks trailed at the break and were 27-17 down at one point but New Zealand prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi's 69th-minute sin-binning helped the hosts to victory in a rerun of the Rugby World Cup 2023 final.
The All Blacks scored four tries – one more than the Springboks – but flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's kicking proved crucial as he provided 16 points with the boot through four penalties and two conversions.
New Zealand led 12-11 at half-time with Codie Taylor and Caleb Clarke scoring tries either side of Bongi Mbonambi going over for the hosts.
The visitors established a 10-point advantage when Jordie Barrett intercepted to race away to score and then Clarke doubled his tally in the second half.
Kwagga Smith crashed over under the posts and Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted before Williams came off the bench to decide a classic.
South Africa had 55% of the possession and 58% of the territory in the match, yet the All Blacks carried more, gained more metres and made more line-breaks (7-3).
South Africa were responsible for 33 of the 61 kicks in the match.
New Zealand were stung by a high penalty count of 14-5 against them.
Both teams were 100% at scrum time and also had a 90%+ line-out success rate.
New Zealand scored four tries from just six visits to the 22 and averaged four points per visit compared to South Africa’s 2.55 points.
South Africa have now won three in a row against New Zealand, the first time this has been achieved by either team since the All Blacks did so in 2016-17.
South Africa have only won four consecutive Tests against the All Blacks once before, in a sequence of six wins across 1937 and 1949.
New Zealand’s last win was 35-20 at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland in last year’s Rugby Championship.
Despite the 31-27 victory for the Springboks, New Zealand have a dominant W14, D1, L5 record against South Africa in The Rugby Championship (since 2012).
The head-to-head record in recent years, however, is an even four wins apiece with one draw (16-16 in 2019).
While this is the first meeting at DHL Stadium, Cape Town has hosted this fixture 10 times before, at Newlands Stadium. New Zealand have a W7, L3 record in the city.
Their last visit to Cape Town in 2017 ended in a 25-24 victory. It came three weeks after their record 57-0 win against the Springboks.
Damian McKenzie scored his fourth Test try in the win, which also featured a late red card for South Africa’s Damian de Allende.
Team notes
South Africa sit top of The Rugby Championship 2024 standings with 14 points from their first three games.
The Springboks could win the title with two rounds to spare if they pick up a bonus point win and deny New Zealand anything from the game and Australia beat Argentina without a try-bonus point.
South Africa last won The Rugby Championship in 2019 and have finished as runners-up to New Zealand in the last two editions.
South Africa have a P7, W6, L1 record in 2024, with wins against Wales, Ireland, Portugal, Australia twice and New Zealand.
Their only defeat of the year came in the second Test against Ireland.
South Africa recorded bonus-point away wins against Australia, 33-7 in Brisbane and 30-12 in Perth, in the first two rounds before beating New Zealand 31-27 in Johannesburg.
In the round one win in Brisbane, South Africa conceded three yellow cards in a match for the first time in Test rugby.
Aphelele Fassi was sin-binned in round three win against New Zealand, taking the Springboks’ overall tally of yellow cards to four, the highest in the 2024 edition.
South Africa have conceded a competition-low 27 penalties and have been awarded the most (40).
The Springboks have the worst goal-kicking success rate having slotted 14 of their 20 attempts (70%).
South Africa have attempted the most drop goals (two) but without any success.
They have made the fewest tackles (403) but have the joint best completion rate (82%).
South Africa have scored 40% of their points (38/94) in the final quarter of matches, whereas they have only conceded 17% of their points (7/46) in that timeframe.
Four-time defending champions New Zealand have lost two of their first three games but have never lost three in a single Rugby Championship campaign.
The All Blacks are second in the table behind South Africa despite losing 38-30 at home to Argentina in round one and 31-27 to the Springboks in round three. Between those matches, they beat Los Pumas 42-10.
The loss to Argentina in Wellington was New Zealand’s first under new coach Scott Robertson, who had won his first three games in charge with the All Blacks having backed up their 2-0 Test series win over England with a 47-5 victory against Fiji in San Diego.
New Zealand are the competition’s top points scorers with 99 from their first three games although 67% of those points have come in the first half.
Eight of New Zealand’s 13 tries have originated from line-out possession.
New Zealand have conceded 79 points at an average of 26.33 per game with 39% of those having come in the final quarter.
It is the most points they have conceded after the first three rounds of a Rugby Championship since they leaked 85 in 2017.
New Zealand have the top ranking scrum (100%) and line-out (91%) in the competition.
The All Blacks have yet to retain the ball from a single restart and are the only team in the competition still to get off the mark.
New Zealand are the only team with a sub-three seconds average ruck speed (2.97).
New Zealand’s tally of 27 offloads is more than double their closest rival (Australia, with 13).
They have kicked the most in open play, along with South Africa (86 times) but for the most metres (2 393).
New Zealand have conceded the most penalties (36, including 20 at the ruck).
They have both the competition’s leading points scorer (McKenzie, 39 points) and leading try-scorer (Clarke, three tries).
Team news
Winger Canan Moodie will make his first appearance of the year after being called up into a much-changed Springbok line-up.
Williams is another of the seven changes, two of which are positional, having been rewarded for his match-winning try at Emirates Airline Park last weekend.
Moodie and scrumhalf Williams are joined in the rejigged backline by two double Rugby World Cup winners in Willie le Roux at fullback and Handré Pollard at flyhalf.
Cheslin Kolbe moves from the right wing to the left to replace Kurt-lee Arendse, who has been ruled out due to concussion, while De Allende and Jesse Kriel extend their record centre partnership to 33 Tests.
Upfront, Rassie Erasmus has opted to stick with the same front row of props, Ox Nche and Frans Malherbe and hooker Bongi Mbonambi.
Eben Etzebeth returns to the starting line-up to join Ruan Nortje in the second row and will move to within one of joining Victor Matfield as the most-capped Springbok in Test history.
Captain Siya Kolisi has been cleared to play after taking a knock to the face in last weekend’s match and lines up alongside Pieter-Steph du Toit – who reverts from second-row to flanker – and No 8 Jasper Wiese.
Kriel, Pollard and Malherbe will all play their 75th Tests in the Springbok jersey with flyhalf Pollard only nine points shy of surpassing Morné Steyn (742) to become their second-highest points scorer in Test rugby behind Percy Montgomery (893).
The Springboks have reverted to a traditional five-three split on the bench with Lukhanyo Am set for his first appearance since the Rugby World Cup 2023 final, joining Jaden Hendrikse and Feinberg-Mngomezulu among the back replacements.
Scott Robertson has made four changes of personnel from last weekend’s starting lineup, as well as a positional switch which sees Will Jordan move from the right wing to fullback.
Jordan wins his 35th cap but only his second in the No 15 jersey, having only previously started at fullback in last year’s 23-20 Bledisloe Cup win over Australia in Dunedin.
With the front row of Tamaiti Williams, Codie Taylor and Tyrel Lomax and the second row of captain Scott Barrett and Tupou Vaa’i remaining intact, the only change to the pack comes on the blindside where Ethan Blackadder makes way for Wallace Sititi due to a tight hamstring.
Sititi is handed his first start in his third Test appearance, joining vastly experienced campaigners Sam Cane and Ardie Savea – with 184 Tests between them – in the back row.
Cortez Ratima has been promoted to the starting line-up to partner McKenzie at half-back, while Barrett and Rieko Ioane retain their places in midfield.
Jordan’s place on the wing is filled by Sevu Reece while Mark Tele’a comes into the side having played off the bench last week to complete the back three, replacing the injured Clarke.
Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara have to be content with places on the bench this weekend with the former set for Test No 130.
Luke Jacobsen comes into the match-day 23 as loose forward cover at the expense of Samipeni Finau, having yet to feature in The Rugby Championship 2024.
Coach notes
Erasmus – the mastermind behind the Springboks’ back-to-back Rugby World Cup successes of 2019 and 2023 – has returned to the role of head coach for the next four years following the departure of Jacques Nienaber to Irish province Leinster.
Erasmus coached the team in 2019 and was Director of Rugby four years later.
Erasmus’ reign in charge started with a defeat to Wales in Washington DC in June 2018.
Former All Black flyhalf Tony Brown has been brought in as attack coach and the responsibility for the defence now falls to former Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery.
Erasmus has also added a performance analyst in Paddy Sullivan, who worked with the team as a consultant at RWC 2023. Sullivan has been a performance analyst for French Top 14 team, Montpelier, for the last three seasons.
Double RWC-winning Springbok No 8, Duane Vermeulen, has also been appointed to a roving coaching role with all SA Rugby’s national teams, while former referee Jaco Peyper has come on board as a laws advisor.
Erasmus won 36 caps for South Africa as a back-row forward, facing New Zealand five times in his career with two of his three wins coming on home soil in Durban in 1998 and Johannesburg in 2000.
Robertson was announced as New Zealand’s new head coach in March 2024, on a four-year deal through to the end of Rugby World Cup 2027 and suffered his first defeat against Argentina after victories over England (twice) and Fiji.
Robertson, who turned 50 last month, played 23 Tests for the All Blacks as a loose forward between 1998 and 2002.
He faced the Springboks on five occasions, winning three and losing two with the two defeats coming on South African soil.
Following retirement from the professional game in 2007, Robertson began his coaching career with the Sumner Rugby Club in Christchurch, before moving into an assistant role with Canterbury in 2008 and then taking over as head coach in 2013, where he went on to win three Premiership titles between 2013 and 2016.
He guided the Crusaders to six consecutive Super Rugby titles as head coach since 2017.
Prior, to that he coached New Zealand to a World Rugby U20 Championship crown in 2015, and most recently coached the Barbarians FC to a win over the All Blacks XV last year.
Springbok starting XV: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe; 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Grant Williams; 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (capt); 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth; 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Kwagga Smith, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Lukhanyo Am.
All Black starting XV: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Tele’a; 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima; 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi; 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (capt); 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams. Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Beauden Barrett.
ARGENTINA v AUSTRALIA – ESTADIO BRIGADIER ESTANLISAO LÓPEZ, SANTA FE – KO 4pm (local time)
Referee
Pierre Brousset (France)
Test debut: 22 April, 2017 – Malta 39-17 Israel
Tests as referee: 10
Pierre Brousset will make his Rugby Championship debut as a referee with this fixture.
It will be the first time he referees Argentina, having been an assistant referee for Tests involving Los Pumas on seven occasions, including against England at Rugby World Cup 2023.
Brousset will take charge of Australia for the second time in 2024, having overseen the Wallabies’ 25-16 victory over Wales in Sydney on 6 July.
This will be his third Test of the year, having also been in charge for Spain’s historic 29-20 defeat of Tonga in Nuku’alofa a fortnight later.
Head-to-head
Played: 40 – Australia leads 28-9 with three draws
Points for: Argentina 718 / Australia 1 103 (Avg. score: 18-28)
Highest score: Argentina 48 (48-17 on 13 August, 2022) / Australia 54 (54-17 on 5 October, 2013)
Biggest winning margin: Argentina 31 (48-17 on 13 August, 2022) / Australia 47 (53-6 on 17 June, 2000)
First met: 27 October, 1979 – Argentina 24-12 Australia – Ferro Carril Oeste Stadium, Buenos Aires
Last met: 131 August, 2024 – Australia 20-19 Argentina – Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi, La Plata
Head-to-head notes
Australia out-scored Argentina two tries to one in La Plata last weekend but still needed Ben Donaldson to kick them to a last-gasp, 20-19 victory.
Jake Gordon and Rob Valetini replied with tries for the Wallabies after Juan Martín González had struck first for Los Pumas.
Santiago Carreras kicked three penalties for the home side and replacement Tomás Albornoz another, however Donaldson’s last-minute match-winner in addition to an earlier penalty from Noah Lolesio saw Australia to victory.
It was only the second time in 40 Tests that a match between Argentina and Australia had been decided by the slimmest of margins (also 14-13 to Australia in 2013).
Donaldson’s kick denied Argentina an unprecedented third consecutive victory against Australia.
This is the first time the teams will have met at Estadio Brigadier General Estanislao López in Sante Fe.
Team notes
Argentina are playing their first Test at Estadio Brigadier General Estanislao López in Sante Fe since they lost 30-12 to Wales in June 2018.
Overall, they have a W2, L2 record at the 42 000-capacity venue.
They also lost 35-25 to England in 2017 after beating Italy 30-24 in 2016 and Ireland 22-20 in 2007.
Argentina currently sit third in The Rugby Championship 2024 standings with five points from their first three games.
Argentina began their Rugby Championship campaign with a 38-30 win over New Zealand in Wellington but failed to back it up in Auckland, losing the return match a week later 42-10.
A losing bonus point was then gained in last week’s 20-19 home defeat to Australia.
That match was the 110th and final Test for hooker Agustín Creevy, the 39-year-old having announced his retirement in the build-up to the game.
Argentina have conceded the most points (92) in the 2024 edition, with two-thirds of them coming in the first half.
Argentina have yet to concede a try in the final quarter of matches in this year’s Rugby Championship, with Donaldson’s penalty being the only points they have conceded in that timeframe.
Argentina have the best goal-kicking percentage (93%) in the competition, missing just one attempt at goal (14/15). All nine penalty attempts have been kicked.
Argentina have kicked the least in open play in the first three rounds (23.33 per match).
They have also made the fewest passes (115.67 per match).
Argentina have made the most tackles (520 at an average of 173.3 per match).
Los Pumas are the only team yet to receive a card of any colour across the first three rounds.
Argentina went into The Rugby Championship on the back of a record 79-5 win against Uruguay, which followed a 1-1 drawn series with France earlier in July.
Australia ended an eight-game losing streak in The Rugby Championship when they defeated Argentina last weekend.
The Wallabies lost the final three matches of the 2022 tournament and then went winless throughout the truncated 2023 edition – the first time they’d failed to achieve at least one victory in a single campaign – before losing back-to-back Tests to South
Africa at the start of this Rugby Championship.
The Wallabies were beaten 33-7 by the Springboks in Brisbane in the opening round, with Hunter Paisami scoring their first try of The Rugby Championship when he crossed the line in the 76th minute. Tom Lynagh kicked the conversion.
Lolesio kicked four penalties as Australia were beaten 30-12 in the return match a week later in Perth.
Five games into the year, Australia managed to keep all 15 men on the field for the first time against Argentina last weekend.
Previously, they’d received at least one yellow card in every match: debutant Serupepeli Uru and Andrew Kellaway v South Africa, Filipo Daugunu v Georgia (upgraded to a red) and Fraser McReight and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto v Wales.
Australia’s total of 39 points and three tries scored is the lowest after the first three rounds of the 2024 edition of The Rugby Championship.
Australia have taken part in 24 scrums – the most in the competition and a third more than the second ranked team (Argentina, 18)
The Wallabies have made the fewest line-breaks (10), have run the fewest metres (584.1) and made the fewest carries (105) on average per match.
Australia went into The Rugby Championship on the back of three victories, beating Wales 25-16 in Sydney and 36-28 in Melbourne before returning to Sydney to beat Georgia 40-29.
Alan Alaalatoa led the Wallabies against Georgia – the third captain in as many weeks for Australia. Liam Wright suffered a shoulder injury in his first match as captain against Wales and was replaced in the second test by James Slipper, who was rested for the Georgia match.
A fourth captain followed last weekend in La Plata with Harry Wilson the 90th player to lead the Wallabies on the test stage.
Australia’s solitary Rugby Championship title came in 2015 when the tournament was restricted to three matches due to it being a Rugby World Cup year.
Los Pumas starting XV: 15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras; 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou; 8 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera; 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti; 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julian Montoya (capt), 1 Thomas Gallo. Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Eduardo Bello, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Joaquin Oviedo, 21 Santiago Grondona, 22 Gonzalo Garcia, 23 Santiago Carreras.
Wallaby starting XV: 15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hamish Stewart, 11 Marika Koroibete; 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Jake Gordon; 8 Harry Wilson (capt), 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Rob Valentini; 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost; 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Angus Bell. Replacements: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 James Slipper, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Josh Canham, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tom Lynagh, 23 Josh Flook.
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