Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has opted for continuity for the third Test of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry at FNB Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 5 pm) against the All Blacks.
Due to late-match alterations ahead of the Boks' 33-26 victory this past weekend in Cape Town, Erasmus' original front-row selections were switched at the 11th hour with their replacements. That saw Gerhard Steenekamp, Deon Fourie, and Thomas du Toit starting in the front row, with Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, and Wilco Louw dropping down to the bench.
For this weekend's clash in Johannesburg, Erasmus has swapped the front-row trios around, reinstating the latter three to the starting XV.
An injury to full-back Damian Willemse is the only selection that has been forced on the Boks. The absence of the 28-year-old will see Cheslin Kolbe move from wing to the No 15 position, while Kurt-Lee Arendse returns to the No 14 jumper alongside the returning Ethan Hooker.
"It was always our plan to have a little more continuity in player combinations for this series," said Erasmus via a SA Rugby statement on Monday. "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.
"Unfortunately, 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."
"Kurt-Lee was unlucky not to play last week after Cheslin recovered from his niggle, so we are pleased to see him back. He is a quality player and his 25 tries in 33 matches so far show the type of player he is."
Of the decision to switch his front rows and revert to the original starting unit he announced last week, Erasmus said: "We decided to change our front rows last week due to the weather conditions, and Johannesburg weather is different to Cape Town, so we thought this would be the best decision for us this weekend.
"Gerhard, Thomas, and Deon have played massive games for us, and at the same time know how to deal with pressure, and that is exactly what we need against a never-say-die team like the All Blacks, who play for the full 80 minutes."
South Africa matchday 23 v New Zealand for third Test @ FNB Stadium
Springboks starting XV: 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 (capt), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche; Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Manie Libbok