LIVE SCORING: Springboks v All Blacks at Ellis Park
· The South African
The time for talking is finally over, and after weeks of increasing anticipation, the Springboks and All Blacks are ready to head into battle at Ellis Park on Saturday evening.
Both teams look to be evenly matched, with the All Blacks expected to rely on a high-tempo attacking approach, while the Springboks will be looking to back their defence, kicking game and superiority up front to lay the foundation for victory.
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South Africa head into this clash without the services of injured captain Siya Kolisi, but Rassie Erasmus has still selected a star-studded side that includes the return of Ox Nche.
Meanwhile, the All Blacks have picked undoubtedly the strongest team of the tour so far, which sees inspirational skipper Ardie Savea return to the line-up.
The match kicks off at 17:10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport, with the South African national anthem set to be sung by Demi Lee Moore. The New Zealand anthem will be performed by Matiu Walter,
KEEP TRACK OF THE LIVE SCORING BETWEEN THE SPRINGBOKS AND ALL BLACKS BELOW
HOW THE TEAMS WILL LINE UP FOR KICK OFF AT ELLIS PARK
SPRINGBOKS – 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 (c), 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.
Subs: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 André Esterhuizen, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Manie Libbok.
ALL BLACKS – 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Josh Moorby, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Fabian Holland, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot.
Subs: 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.
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Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant referees: Karl Dickson (England), Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
TMO: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
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STATS AND FACTS
- Damian de Allende will become only the 10th player in Springbok history to feature in 100 Tests on Saturday after making his international debut against Argentina in 2014.
- Pieter-Steph du Toit, who will lead the team in his fourth Test this season, requires only one more appearance after this match to join the exclusive club of Springbok centurions, with the flanker running out in his 99th Test match this weekend.
- Prop Ox Nche will feature in his 49th Test match, leaving him only one match short of earning 50 Test matches, while Jasper Wiese requires only three more Test caps to earn his 50th cap.
- Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok player of all time to 143 caps when he takes the field.
- Manie Libbok requires only three more points to earn 150 international points.
- 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 last time the Springboks met the All Blacks in Johannesburg was in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship in 2024, with the Boks winning that match by 31-27.
- The Springboks have won five of the last six matches between the teams dating back to August 2023, which included the Rugby World Cup final in France that same year.
- The total Test caps in the Springbok starting line-up is 850. There are 373 caps in the backline, with 477 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 193 caps.
- The average caps per player in the backline is 53, the forwards 60, while the players on the bench average 24.