Rassie Erasmus has named Siya Kolisi at No 8 and recalled Willie le Roux at fullback for Saturday’s Rugby Championship blockbuster against the All Blacks at Eden Park.

Erasmus has made four changes to the starting XV that beat the Wallabies in Cape Town, with Jesse Kriel retaining the captaincy.

The most striking call is Kolisi’s shift to the back of the scrum in what will be his second Test at No 8, while Le Roux returns for his 101st cap after missing out last time due to a niggle.

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Commenting on the decision to hand the captaincy to Kriel rather than regular skipper Kolisi, Erasmus said: “Siya was touch and go for the match earlier in the week after picking up a niggle a few weeks ago, and we didn’t want to risk him unnecessarily, but with Jean-Luc du Preez having picked up a niggle at training this week, Siya was the obvious choice to slot in at No 8.

“At that stage, Jesse had already been told he would be the captain, and it was only fair for us to keep things that way. He’s a great leader and one of the core players in our team. His communication with the referee and his teammates is good, and he leads by example in the way he plays, so he deserves this opportunity.

“It will also be a big occasion for him to captain the team against the All Blacks for the first time, so we are proud of Jesse, and we know he’ll carry this responsibility with great pride.”

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Up front, Eben Etzebeth is restored to the engine room alongside Ruan Nortje in what will be his 136th Test, while Pieter-Steph du Toit returns to the flank.

On the bench, Erasmus has opted for five forwards and three backs. Jan-Hendrik Wessels takes over from Marnus van der Merwe at hooker, Kwagga Smith drops back to the replacements and Ethan Hooker comes in for Andre Esterhuizen.

“We selected the best possible team we could for the match, knowing that this is going to be an epic encounter against the All Blacks at Eden Park, and many of these players have done the job for us before against them,” Erasmus said.

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With the Boks chasing a fifth successive win over their fiercest rivals – and their first victory at Eden Park since 1937 – Erasmus stressed that Saturday would be a defining occasion.

“The history and rivalry between the sides speaks for itself, and with all the permutations attached to this match, it makes it particularly noteworthy, so we are expecting it to be a proper grind,” he added.

The Freedom Cup is also on the line, with Ardie Savea set to mark his 100th Test for New Zealand.

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SPRINGBOKS – 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel (c), 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.
Bench: 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.

Rassie Erasmus has named a settled side for Saturday’s Test against the All Blacks in Auckland 🤝
Catch all the action live on @SuperSportTV 📺#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold

— Springboks (@Springboks) September 4, 2025

Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images