Cape Town hosts must-win 2nd Test for Springboks

Ralph Staniforth

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Ralph Staniforth 1 hour ago

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All Blacks ended the Springboks' 12-match winning streak at Ellis Park.
South Africa dominated early but lost momentum after key errors.
Next test in Cape Town is must-win for the Springboks, with team changes expected.

Final-like for Springboks in Cape Town (Getty Images)

South Africa began this Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour as clear favourites and came into it on a 12-match winning run. The All Blacks ended that run with a stellar performance at 10bet Ellis Park on Saturday.

Rassie Erasmus, who has become known for announcing his team on Monday's and Tuesday's, held back last week, saying he didn't want to give New Zealand the extra days to prepare - it turned out, they didn't need those extra days.

This week, Erasmus dropped the team for the 2nd Test at the Cape Town Stadium on Monday, wasting little time. While many call the Springbok mastermind "rattled" this has been very much in-character for Erasmus, who did something similar after losing to the All Blacks at Eden Park in the Rugby Championship in 2025.

So, what happened on Saturday? The Boks were clear favourites going into the opening match, but as we mentioned in our preview, the All Blacks simply had to win at Ellis Park to have any chance of winning the four-match tour.

In terms of minutes, South Africa were undercooked - Sacha-Feinberg Mngomezulu and Eben Etzebeth had only one game in the last few months, while others had hardly any game time since the Nations Championship. New Zealand on the other hand had three warm-up games against the Bulls, Stormers and Sharks.

That is not an excuse for the performance that really just wasn't up to scratch from the Springboks, but it does explain some of the inaccuracies during the game. The final score of 33-16 hardly paints the full picture, either.

There was a score in it until the final quarter, where at altitude, you'd expect the hosts to start taking control. They had scrum dominance, their maul was working well to an extent, the tight phases were good, despite a few loose lineouts. But defensively they were found wanting regularly, at the breakdown, a lot of work is required, especially knowing the All Blacks would target that area.

The facts are there for all to see, though. South Africa had the better of the first 60 minutes, despite not playing well. Malcolm Marx dropping the ball with the tryline only centimetres away, was a major blow. However, the turning point came in the second half.

At 19-16 down, the Springboks had complete scrum dominance and a yellow card was beckoning for the All Blacks. Scrum after scrum in the 22 the Boks piled on the pressure. They were held up, make silly errors and New Zealand showed true grit and determination to keep the hosts out.

Then, a five-meter scrum from the line and out of nowhere, the All Blacks produced an incredible scrum to win a penalty and clear their lines. That is when they pulled away and won the test match. South Africa's confidence dipped, New Zealand's grew, and there was only ever going to be one winner after that.

The question is, can the All Blacks survive the next three Test matches against the Springboks, who will only get better? Personally, I cannot see it - despite not playing well, South Africa had the better of the first 55 minutes, bar for a few lapses, and improved performance will only result in more dominance.

Alternatively, that win could give New Zealand the confidence and momentum. My only concern is that a struggling scrum and a maul going backwards cannot survive forever on confidence, and much of that isn't fixable in a week.

Time will tell and Cape Town had turned into a must-win for the Springboks - the question is whether they can execute better or will New Zealand continue to hammer the breakdown and survive scrum-time by hook or by crook.

South Africa Team News & Squad

Sacha-Feinberg Mgomezulu has moved to the bench this week with two-time World Cup winner, Handre Pollard at flyhalf. This does hamper the South African attack, but with the possibility of rain in Cape Town, Pollard offers security, territory and calmness at 10. He is partnered by Cobus Reinach, a clear indication that the Boks will be moving to a more traditional style of play.

Ethan Hooker starts on the wing with Cheslin Kolbe ruled out. Hooker had a superb game against the All Blacks in Wellington last year and will be looking to replicate that on Saturday.

Siya Kolisi has been named to start but still has to pass a fitness test. Paul de Villiers is in brackets in case the South African talisman is not deemed fit enough to start. Saturday, in terms of selection and possible weather, looks like the Boks will be introducing the slow poison and try to muscle the All Blacks into oblivion.

That said, the men in black did not hold back on the physicality on Saturday and will once again go toe-to-toe with the green and gold. These are two teams that you would never write off.

15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Handrè Pollard, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), 6 Siya Kolisi/Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruan Nortjè, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nchè.

Subs: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Andrè Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Mornè van den Berg, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Ralph is from South Africa and studied Sports Science post school at ETA (Education Teachers Academy) in Cape Town.

He has always had a great passion for sport and this led him into the world of sports journalism, while coaching on the side. Since 2012 Ralph has worked as a journalist and covered many topics from business to sport.

Over the last seven years he has interviewed numerous top rugby and cricket players and coaches in South Africa.

Ralph has been betting on sports for the last ten years. He’s knowledgeable on numerous topics including football, rugby, cricket, tennis and golf.

He supports Manchester United (football), Cheetahs (rugby), Knights (cricket) and has a newly found appreciation for Dominic Thiem on the tennis courts.