Kolbe switched to fullback for third All Blacks Test
Rassie Erasmus makes four changes to South Africa’s team for the third All Blacks Test at FNB Stadium, with Cheslin Kolbe shifting to fullback after Damian Willemse’s injury.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has made four changes and one positional switch to his starting team for the third Test against the All Blacks at the FNB Stadium in Soweto on Saturday.
The changes to the match-23 will see the front row of Ox Nche, Wilco Louw, and Malcolm Marx return to the starting team, with Gerhard Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit and Deon Fourie switching to the replacements bench, while an injury-enforced change to versatile back Damian Willemse sees Cheslin Kolbe switch to fullback and Kurt-Lee Arendse being drafted onto the wing in the starting team.
“It was always our plan to have a little more continuity in player combinations for this series, and we thought that the players who did the job for us last week really showed composure and did well to stick to the plan and what we wanted to achieve last week,” said Erasmus.
“Unfortunately, Damian Willemse took a knock in the first half and was not available for selection this weekend, and neither was Handre Pollard, and by sticking to these combinations and making one switch with Cheslin at fullback, we thought it would be the best for this match.”
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Erasmus expected the All Blacks to come out firing this weekend, saying they would have the same desperation to fight back after the Boks’ 33-26 victory, which saw the teams draw the series with two matches to play.
“We know how it felt after the first match in Johannesburg, and such a result really galvanises a team, so we have no doubt that they will go full-out to win this Test match before the series finale in the USA next week,” said Erasmus.
“We are excited that we will be playing at the FNB stadium, where on a good day there is an 80,000-strong crowd, and that will be a new and exciting experience for our players because most of these players have never run onto the field there, and the support we enjoy there will add to the occasion.”
