De Allende strikes 100 in RGR opener against New Zealand

Springbok centre Damian de Allende will become the 10th player in history to earn 100 Test caps for South Africa when the Boks meet the All Blacks in the opening game of the inaugural Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry in Johannesburg on Saturday (5.10pm).

The team named for the RGR opener at 10bet Ellis Park shows a mix of continuity in selection from the Test against Argentina and a host of players who remained behind in South Africa.

The majority of the players named in Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus’ starting team – including captain Pieter-Steph du Toit – began their preparations for the series in Johannesburg last week as the rest of the squad travelled to Argentina for the clash against Los Pumas.

The only two players who retain their places in the starting XV from the Argentina Test – which the Boks won 17-10 – are Eben Etzebeth (lock) and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (flyhalf). A further seven players from the clash in Buenos Aires – Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Marco van Staden, Cobus Wiese (all utility forwards), Gerhard Steenekamp, Zachary Porthen (both props), Andre Esterhuizen (flanker and centre) and Cobus Reinach (scrumhalf) – have been included on the bench.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu will join forces with Grant Williams at halfback, while wings Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Damian Willemse (fullback) form the back trio. Completing the quality backline are the record-breaking centre pairing of De Allende and Jesse Kriel.

Ox Nche makes a welcome return from injury and will partner up with Wilco Louw and Malcolm Marx in the front row, while Etzebeth will reunite with Ruan Nortje in the engine room and Paul de Villiers, Du Toit and Jasper Wiese have been named as the loose trio.

Erasmus retained the same replacement front row from two weeks ago of Wessels, Steenekamp and Porthen, with Cobus Wiese, Van Staden and Esterhuizen also providing forward cover, while the two specialist backs are Reinach and flyhalf Manie Libbok.

“The All Blacks are a quality team and we selected combinations we think would be best suited for the challenge this weekend,” said Erasmus.

“The squad is well balanced with players who remained in South Africa to train for this series and some of the players who featured against Argentina.

“It certainly helped to have some players return from injury last week and to get back into top-flight Test rugby, while some of the others who had a heavy workload in the Nations Championship had sufficient time to recover from the physical toll on them.

“The whole group has now been together for over a week and we are all aligned regarding the way we want to play this weekend.”

Commenting on the omission of Kolisi, the regular Springbok flanker and captain, Erasmus said: “Siya trained well with us this week and although we could have selected him for this clash, we thought it would be best to select Paul (de Villiers) for this weekend’s game.

“We are playing four Tests against the All Blacks and Paul has been playing well, so we are excited to give him a chance this weekend in what will be his first Test match against New Zealand, while taking a precautionary approach to Siya’s return.

“We have a solid group of players and each one of them deserves their places in the squad, so we will approach team selection week by week.”

Erasmus was delighted for De Allende’s significant milestone of earning his Test century.

“We are all very excited for Damian and to achieve this milestone in this series makes it even more special,” said Erasmus.

“He’s a great team man and servant to the game, so we hope we can make it a memorable day for him. That said, his focus all week has only been on this match and he will certainly not let the occasion shadow what he has to do on the field.”

The Bok coach expected another epic encounter against the All Blacks: “They are a quality team and they’re very well coached, so we are preparing for an 80-minute grind. They have a well-rounded squad with physical forwards and an exciting backline, so we have to be sharp and accurate in our execution from the outset.

“Many of the matches between the sides have come down to the wire, so it’s important that we use the chances we create and ensure that our discipline is on point. It’s going to be a big battle but the entire squad is excited about the match and are looking forward to it.”

All Black head coach Dave Rennie has also named his team for the weekend with No 8 and captain Ardie Savea, halfback Cam Roigard and outside back Will Jordan making their first appearance of the tour against the Springboks on Saturday. Damian McKenzie has also returned from injury to start at fullback.

Savea and hooker Codie Taylor are playing their 110th Tests. It will be Savea’s 18th Test against South Africa and Taylor’s 17th. Anton Segner and Josh Moorby will be playing South Africa for the first time.

“After all the build up and anticipation, our whole touring squad is excited to get this first Test underway,” Rennie said.

“We have selected a balanced mix of big match, experienced players and younger players who have earned the right to play in this first Test.

“The first three franchise games have exposed our newer players to the way South African teams play and have been fantastic in helping us build combinations and develop the game we want to play.

“We know the Test series will be a huge step up. We’re well aware of what the Springboks will bring to the contest and the pressure that will come to bear. They are number one in the world, playing at their spiritual home in front of their passionate fans, so we will have to be at our very best on Saturday.”

Springbok starting XV: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse; 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Grant Williams; 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (capt), 6 Paul de Villiers; 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth; 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Manie Libbok.

All Black starting XV: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Josh Moorby; 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard; 8 Ardie Savea (capt), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Tupou Vaa’i; 5 Fabian Holland, 4 Josh Lord; 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot. Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 George Bower, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Anton Segner, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Leroy Carter.

South Africa v New Zealand - Saturday @ 10bet Ellis Park, Johannesburg (5.10pm)

Referee: Matthew Carley (England)

Assistant referees: Karl Dickson (England), Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)

TMO: Mike Adamson (Scotland)