Springboks vs All Blacks: Players to watch at Ellis Park!
On the eve of the enticing Rugby Championship showdown between the Springboks and All Blacks, here’s a look at the key players from each of the teams.
MARIETTE ADAMS looks at the players to watch as the Springboks and All Blacks face off in the first game of their two-Test series in Johannesburg on Saturday.
PIETER-STEPH DU TOIT
What more can be said and written about Pieter-Steph du Doit that hasn’t already been said and written. The dynamic flanker is an absolute tank, who has arguably made the biggest contribution to the Springboks’ up-turn in fortunes over the last few years.
As for this season alone, you’d be hard-pressed to find a single bad performance or even just a single bad moment in a game from Du Toit. He has been the standout Test player this year and is universally considered to be the front runner for the coveted World Rugby Player of the Year award.
The Springboks will be looking to him once again to dominate the rucks and mauls if they are to topple the All Blacks for a record equalling third straight win in this blue-ribbon fixture. He also has the ability to carve open the defence so keep an eye out for his snipping runs.
SACHA FEINBERG-MNGOMEZULU
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom, so much so that he has usurped both Handré Pollard and Manie Libbok to become the Springboks’ first-choice flyhalf since making his debut just two months ago.
Besides possessing a rare skill-set and one of the most lethal sidesteps in the game, Feinberg-Mngomezulu is also a strong lad who isn’t afraid to get stuck in on defence. By all accounts, he appears to have all the attributes to become the complete package as he continues his rapid progression at international level.
But starting a Test against the All Blacks is an altogether different ball-game and his mental fortitude will be challenged to the limit at Ellis Park.
Yes, he is still maturing, but a dominant display against the All Blacks would confirm his status as the sort of all-round flyhalf that South African rugby has been crying out for.
SAM CANE
The last time Sam Cane faced the Springboks was in the World Cup final in Paris, where he was sent off for a high shot on Jesse Kriel; with South Africa ultimately winning by a point.
But he is back in the All Blacks team and now has an opportunity to write a different narrative for himself and his team in this grand old fixture.
A physically abrasive presence in the All Blacks back row, you wouldn’t be amiss to place Cane in the same mould as Richie McCaw. And wouldn’t all of New Zealand love it if he could muster up a peerless performance against the Springboks akin to what they used to get from the great McCaw in years gone past?
SCOTT BARRETT
Scott Barrett missed the first two Tests of the competition against Argentina due to a broken finger, but takes his place in the second row alongside the in-form Tupou Vaa’i at Ellis Park this week.
A hard-nosed defender, powerful ball carrier and equally expert poacher, the lock’s timely return comes as a major boost for the All Blacks, whose lock stocks were running thin.
The oldest of the three Barrett brothers in the match 23, he will be looking to mark his first game back in action with a massive contribution to the All Blacks’ cause. The Springboks must be wary of him.
WILL THE SPRINGBOKS BEAT THE ALL BLACKS ON SATURDAY?
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TEAM LISTS FOR RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP CLASH
SPRINGBOKS: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche.
Subs: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Handre Pollard.
ALL BLACKS — 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (captain), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams.
Subs: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Mark Tele’a.