MAAK ‘IT OF PARK ‘IT

JESSE Kriel will lead the Springboks against the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday, despite regular captain Siya Kolisi also being in the starting XV.  

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus made four changes to his beginspan that beat Australia 30-22 for the 9.05am Rugby Championship Test match, as the Boks look to break the All Blacks’ undefeated streak at Eden Park.

Kolisi, who is back from a knee injury, starts at No.8 while fellow big guns Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit also return to the pack.  

In the only backline change, Willie le Roux replaces Aphelele Fassi at fullback.  

Of why Kolisi, selected after Jean-Luc du Preez suffered a knee injury, won’t be leading the span as South Africa chase a first win against the All Blacks at Eden Park since 1937, Erasmus said: “JL [du Preez] was supposed to play… and then his knee gave in on Tuesday.

“We already announced on Monday that Jesse would be captain on Monday, and because we only made a change to the team on Wednesday, Siya himself said that Jesse should stay captain with Eben and Ox [Nche] leading the forwards.”

Meanwhile, Erasmus resisted the temptation of going with a forwards-heavy bench, picking a traditional 5/3 split that sees Jan-Hendrik Wessels return as backup hooker and Ethan Hooker picked ahead of Fassi, Andre Esterhuizen and Damian Willemse on the wood.

Erasmus added: “This is a massive game and not just because we are playing at Eden Park.

“Not a lot of the guys in our squad have been here or have won in New Zealand. I never won as a player in New Zealand. There is a lot of history... ”

BOK TEAM: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel (captain), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Siya Kolisi, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Ethan Hooker