Springbok utility forward Pieter-Steph du Toit will earn his 100th Test cap when the Springboks face New Zealand in Cape Town on Saturday.
Prop Ox Nche will also reach a career milestone, earning his 50th cap for the national team.
The pair are among the key talking points as the Springboks look to bounce back against the All Blacks in the second Test of the Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
Du Toit will become just the 11th player in Springbok history to reach 100 Tests. He will also retain the captaincy.
Rassie Erasmus has named a largely unchanged starting team, with Handre Pollard and Cobus Reinach starting at halfback, while Ethan Hooker replaces the injured Cheslin Kolbe on the wing.
Siya Kolisi is bracketed with Paul de Villiers and will start if he comes through training without any issues.
Should Kolisi take the field, the Springboks will boast a record 1,012 combined Test caps in their starting XV.
Eben Etzebeth will also extend his record as the most-capped Springbok, to 144 Tests.
Erasmus says the team knows it must improve its ability to convert opportunities into points after last weekend’s defeat in Johannesburg.
The match kicks off at 5:10 pm at DHL Stadium on Saturday.
Springbok team to face the All Blacks in Cape Town:
15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 53 caps, 76 pts (8t, 9c, 4p, 2dg)
14 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Mitsubishi Dynaboars) – 33 caps, 125 pts (25t)
13 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 91 caps, 115 pts (23t)
12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 100 caps, 55 pts (11t)
11 Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 10 caps, 10 pts (2t)
10 Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls) – 87 caps, 832 pts (8t, 130 c, 175 p, 5dg)
9 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 54 caps, 100 pts (20t)
8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 46 caps, 20 pts (4t)
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain, Toyota Verblitz) – 99 caps, 70 pts (14t)
6 Siya Kolisi (DHL Stormers) – 104 caps, 70 pts (14t) / Paul de Villiers (DHL Stormers) – 4 cap, 5 pts (1t)
5 Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears) – 21 caps, 5 pts (1t)
4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 143 caps, 45 pts (9t)
3 Wilco Louw (DHL Stormers) – 32 caps, 10 pts (2t)
2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 90 caps, 135 pts (27t)
1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 49 caps, 0 pts
Replacements:
16 Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers) – 13 caps, 10 pts (2t)
17 Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 20 caps, 10 pts (2t)
18 Thomas du Toit (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 34 caps, 10 pts (2t)
19 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 74 caps, 25 pts (5t)
20 Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 32 caps, 30 pts (6t)
21 Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls) – 3 caps, 5 pts (1t)
22 Morne van den Berg (10bet Lions) – 7 caps, 25 pts (5t)
23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 21 caps, 177 pts (9t, 45c, 14p)
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