Rassie Erasmus’ front-row switcheroo explained as South Africa revert for third Test

Rassie Erasmus has sought to explain his front-row chicanery ahead of Saturday’s second Test which saw his South Africa team beat New Zealand to level the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.

The Springboks head coach swapped his entire front-row just an hour before kick-off, then subbed two of them off after 35 minutes of the game in Cape Town. This was on the back of announcing his team on Monday and subsequent alterations at fly-half and wing on the eve of the match.

Erasmus has again gone early with his selection for this Saturday’s third Test in Soweto and there is a return for the front-row trio originally picked to start in Cape Town. Ox Nché, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw found themselves relegated to the bench just before the match started, with Gerhard Steenekamp, Deon Fourie and Thomas du Toit promoted in their place.

Ox Nche came off the bench for South Africa in the second Test against New Zealand at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday after being originally named in the starting side. | Getty Images

“We decided to change our front rows last week due to the weather conditions, and Johannesburg weather is different to Cape Town, so we thought this would be the best decision for us this weekend,” said Erasmus.

“Gerhard, Thomas, and Deon have played massive games for us, and at the same time know how to deal with pressure, and that is exactly what we need against a never-say-die team like the All Blacks, who play for the full 80 minutes.”

Scrum grumbling

Whether Erasmus sticks with his published selection remains to be seen but there is no doubt that the 33-26 victory has brought the series nicely to the boil. There were grumblings post-match from All Blacks coach Dave Rennie about the Springboks scrum illegally “walking around” and ‌pushing straight to gain an advantage at the set piece.

Unsurprisingly, these complaints were dismissed by Erasmus who has now regained the upper hand after the All Blacks’ shock 33-16 in the first Test at Ellis Park. The action switches to Soweto’s FNB Stadium this Saturday before the teams head to the United States for the fourth and final Test in Baltimore on September 12.

This weekend’s match will see a change of role for Cheslin Kolbe who switches from wing to full-back to replace the injured Damian Willemse. Kurt-Lee Arendse returns to the side to fill Kolbe’s wing berth.

Springboks team to face the All Blacks in the third Test in Soweto

South Africa v New Zealand: Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Third Test, FNB Stadium, Saturday, (4.10pm BST)

South Africa: 15 Cheslin Kolbe; 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker; 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach; 1 Ox Nche, 2 Malcolm Marx, 3 Wilco Louw, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Ruan Nortje, 6 Siya Kolisi (capt), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8 Jasper Wiese. Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Manie Libbok.