Seven days after losing their top spot following a 33-16 defeat to the All Blacks at Ellis Park, the Springboks have an immediate opportunity to reclaim the No. 1 World Rugby ranking this Saturday at DHL Stadium in Cape Town.
Heading into the second Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, New Zealand lead the standings with 94.03 rating points, holding a 1.82-point buffer over South Africa (92.21 points).
Match Context & Lineups
A win by any margin on Saturday will deliver sufficient rating points for Rassie Erasmus’s side to overtake the All Blacks and restore South Africa to the summit of international rugby.
| Position | Springboks Starting XV | Springboks Substitutes |
| Backs | 15. Damian Willemse, 14. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13. Jesse Kriel, 12. Damian de Allende, 11. Ethan Hooker, 10. Handre Pollard, 9. Cobus Reinach | 20. Andre Esterhuizen, 21. Cameron Hanekom, 22. Morne van den Berg, 23. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu |
| Forwards | 1. Ox Nché, 2. Malcolm Marx, 3. Wilco Louw, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 5. Ruan Nortje, 6. Siya Kolisi / Paul de Villiers, 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), 8. Jasper Wiese | 16. Deon Fourie, 17. Gerhard Steenekamp, 18. Thomas du Toit, 19. Lood de Jager |
- Match Officials: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) will referee, with Karl Dickson (England) and Angus Gardner (Australia) as assistants, and Eric Gauzins (France) serving as TMO.
