Kolbe at full back

Rassie made only one injury enforced change to the team for the third test. Cheslin Kolbe moves to full back while Kurt-Lee Arendse comes back into the team at wing.

This is in effect another must win game for the Boks as they would not want to lose the SA leg of the tour to the All Blacks. The Springboks showed major improvement from the first game. The maul worked really well, they did manage to get points from their 22 visits, Eben and co disrupted their lineout a number of times, the Boks won the high ball battle (Ethan Hooker was outstanding) and the Bok defense mostly ensured that the All Blacks did not have their own way on attack.

However the All Blacks managed to score 2 tries in the last 20 minutes of the game and were one turnover away from equalizing just before the final whistle. The All Blacks did manage to get around the compressed Bok defense by using long passes from either Barrett or Tupaea to the wing out wide who then either made a lot of meters before being stopped or scored. It is very difficult to stop the All Blacks from scoring – they are very patient, make few mistakes, can generate a lot of speed on the ball if you give them just a bit of space. All it takes is one poor box kick / chase, or a mismatch of tight forwards against backs. The only way to beat them is to keep scoring.

15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.
Bench: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 André Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Manie Libbok