Du Toit and Nche earn milestones in second RGR Test in Cape Town

Springbok utility forward Pieter-Steph du Toit will mark the significant achievement of becoming the 11th player in Bok history to earn 100 Test caps, while prop Ox Nche will join the club of players to earn 50 caps in Cape Town on Saturday in the second Test of the Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus named a similar starting XV to the one that lined up against the All Blacks in Johannesburg last week, with the only changes seeing Siya Kolisi bracketed alongside Paul de Villiers at flanker, while Handre Pollard and Cobus Reinach will start as the halfback pairing and Ethan Hooker takes over from Cheslin Kolbe on the wing after he picked up a niggle in the first Test.

Should Kolisi make it through training comfortably this week, he will replace Paul de Villiers, joining Du Toit and Jasper Wiese in the loose trio, while Hooker’s inclusion sees Kurt-Lee Arendse switch from the left to right wing in an exciting back three with Damian Willemse. Du Toit retains the captaincy.

If Kolisi runs out at DHL Stadium, it will be the most experienced Springbok team ever to take the field, with a combined total of 1 012 Test caps in the starting XV.

The switches on the bench sees the inclusion of 39-year-old Deon Fourie in a back-up front row with Gerhard Steenekamp and Thomas du Toit, while Lood de Jager (lock) and Cameron Hanekom (loose forward) will join hybrid Andre Esterhuizen as the replacement forwards.

The two replacement backs, meanwhile are scrumhalf Morne van den Berg and the versatile Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

All of the players in the matchday squad, with the exception of Fourie – who last wore the green and gold jersey in the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final – featured in the Boks’ last two Test matches, against Argentina and the All Blacks.

“Cheslin and Grant (Williams) suffered niggles last weekend, which ruled them out of contention for selection, while we have bracketed Siya alongside Paul to allow us time to monitor how Siya comes through training this week,” said Erasmus.

“The changes we made are in line with what we want to achieve on the field this week and it is valuable that almost all of the players have been involved in the last two games, so they will be able to cope with the intensity and physicality of this match.”

Erasmus said it was exciting to have flyhalves with different skillsets in the squad: “Handre has delivered for us under extreme pressure and we feel that what he and Cobus have the potential to bring at the beginning of the game and then have Morne and Sacha come on later with their different styles of play will be good for us this weekend.”

Looking forward to the match, Erasmus said: “One could see the hurt on everyone’s faces after Saturday’s match and we know what we have to do to bounce back strongly this week. While we are fully aware of the challenging task ahead, we have regrouped and identified the areas of our game we need to fix, so we are ready and excited for the match in Cape Town.”

The Bok coach was full of praise for Du Toit and Nche, with both earning special career milestones this weekend.

“Pieter-Steph and Ox have been pillars of strength for us on and off the field and they both deserve these accolades,” said Erasmus.

“It is a remarkable achievement to play 100 Test matches and for Pieter-Steph to deliver week in and week out the way he has over the years is incredible.

“We are equally proud of Ox for the player and team man he has grown into and to see him reach 50 Test caps is fantastic. That said, as a team, our focus is completely on Saturday’s game and so is theirs, so our main objective is to deliver on the field. If we can do that, hopefully we will make it a memorable day for them.”

Erasmus expected another gruelling encounter against New Zealand on Saturday and he emphasised the importance of converting the chances they create into points to earn the desired result.

“There were a handful of positives and negatives last week but the main thing that let us down was that we created so many chances, but mistakes at crucial times cost us,” said the Bok coach.

“We’ll put in a lot of work this week to ensure that we are sharp in that regard this weekend because if we had used even some of those chances, the result could have been completely different.

“That said, we know New Zealand will be charged up after winning last week, and they will want to build on that. But the key for us will be to focus on our game and ensure that we are as effective as possible all around.”

The match kicks off at 5.10pm and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Springbok team to face the All Blacks in Cape Town: 15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 53 caps, 76 pts (8t, 9c, 4p, 2dg), 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Mitsubishi Dynaboars) – 33 caps, 125 pts (25t), 13 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 91 caps, 115 pts (23t), 12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 100 caps, 55 pts (11t), 11 Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 10 caps, 10 pts (2t); 10 Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls) – 87 caps, 832 pts (8t, 130 c, 175 p, 5dg), 9 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 54 caps, 100 pts (20t); 8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 46 caps, 20 pts (4t), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain, Toyota Verblitz) – 99 caps, 70 pts (14t), 6 Siya Kolisi (DHL Stormers) – 104 caps, 70 pts (14t)/Paul de Villiers (DHL Stormers) – 4 cap, 5 pts (1t); 5 Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears) - 21 caps, 5 pts (1t), 4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 143 caps, 45 pts (9t); 3 Wilco Louw (DHL Stormers) – 32 caps, 10 pts (2t), 2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 90 caps, 135 pts (27t), 1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 49 caps, 0 pts. Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers) – 13 caps, 10 pts (2t), 17 Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 20 caps, 10 pts (2t), 18 Thomas du Toit (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 34 caps, 10 pts (2t), 19 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 74 caps, 25 pts (5t), 20 Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 32 caps, 30 pts (6t), 21 Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls) – 3 caps, 5 pts (1t), 22 Morne van den Berg (10bet Lions) – 7 caps, 25 pts (5t), 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 21 caps, 177 pts (9t, 45c, 14p).

Stats and facts

Springbok record against New Zealand: Played: 111, Won: 43, Lost: 64, Drawn: 4. Points for: 1 866; Points against: 2 302; Tries scored: 182; Tries conceded: 253. Win %: 37,7%.

• Pieter-Steph du Toit will become the 11th player in Springbok history to feature in 100 Tests on Saturday after making his international debut against Wales in 2013. He will also be the second player in as many weeks to achieve this significant milestone after Damian de Allende earned his 100th last weekend.

• Prop Ox Nche will join the select club of players who have played 50 Tests.

• Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok player of all time to 144 caps.

• Should he take the field, Deon Fourie will become the oldest Springbok player to play in a Test match at 39 years old, surpassing Victor Matfield and Schalk Brits who were 38 years old in their last Test matches.

• This game will mark Fourie’s first game back since the RWC final in France, which also happened to be against the All Blacks, with the Boks winning the match 12-11 to lift the trophy.

• The last time the Springboks met the All Blacks in Cape Town was in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship in 2024, with the Boks winning the match 18-12.

• The Castle Lager Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series marks the first time since 1996 that the All Blacks have embarked on a traditional rugby tour to South Africa.

• The Springboks have won five of the last seven matches between the teams dating back to August 2023.

• With Kolisi starting, the total Test caps in the Springbok starting line-up is 1012 – the highest ever fielded by South Africa. There are 428 caps in the backline, with 584 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 204 caps.

• The average caps per player in the backline is 61, the forwards 73, while the players on the bench average 26.