Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has made nine changes to his squad for their Castle Lager Rugby Championship test against New Zealand at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday, including the return of Jasper Wiese. 

The match marks Wiese's first appearance of the season after serving a suspension.

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Injuries to six locks have forced Erasmus to reshuffle his pack, with Pieter-Steph du Toit partnering with Ruan Nortje in a new locking combination. 

Among the unavailable locks are Eben Etzebeth (back) and Salmaan Moerat (concussion), who missed out after the Springboks’ 33-7 win over the Wallabies. Aphelele Fassi takes over at fullback from Willie le Roux in the only change to the backline.

Despite the lock crisis, Erasmus remains confident in his selections. 

“It’s not ideal having so many injuries at lock, but Ruan performed well last week, and we trust he’ll pair effectively with Pieter-Steph,” Erasmus said. “This will be a great opportunity for him to prove his worth against one of the best teams in the world.”

The Springbok pack sees six changes, with Ox Nche, Frans Malherbe and Bongi Mbonambi forming a new front row. 

Wiese joins Siya Kolisi and Ben-Jason Dixon in the back row. 

Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu reunite at halfback, while Damian de Allende partners with Jesse Kriel in the center.

Erasmus expects a tough challenge from the All Blacks, who have a strong record at Emirates Airline Park. 

“They’ll come out firing, and we know how dangerous they are,” he said. “We’ll need to be at our best to continue our momentum and contend for the Championship title.”

Springboks Team To face New Zealand In Johannesburg:

15 – Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 6 caps, 15 points (3t)

14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) – 35 caps, 96 points (15t, 3c, 5p)

13 – Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 73 caps, 80 points (16t)

12 –Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 82 caps, 55 points (11t)

11 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) - 19 caps, 85 points (17t)

10 – Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 6 caps, 33 points (12c, 3p)

9 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 34 caps, 65 pts (13t)

8 – Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 27 caps, 5 pts (1t)

7 – Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers) – 3 caps, 5 points (1t)

6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Racing 92) – 86 caps, 55 points (11t)

5 – Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 2 caps, 0 points

4 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 81 caps, 45 points (9t)

3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 73 caps, 5 points (1t)

2 – Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 72 caps, 70 points (14t)

1 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 33 caps, 0 pts

Replacements:

16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 69 caps, 95 points (19t)

17 – Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 4 caps, 0 points

18 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 54 caps, 0 points

19 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 22 caps, 10 pts (2t)

20 – Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 6 caps, 0 points

21 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 45 caps, 40 pts (8t)

22 – Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 13 caps, 10 points (2t)

23 – Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers) – 73 caps, 734 points (7t, 99c, 162p, 5dg)

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