By Adnaan Mohamed
Kurt-Lee Arendse is back in the Springbok starting XV, and Rassie Erasmus is hoping the try-scoring machine can provide another spark when the All Blacks roll into the roaring cauldron of FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Arendse returns on the right wing for the third Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test after missing the 33-26 Cape Town victory.
Cheslin Kolbe moves to fullback following Damian Willemse’s injury, giving the Springboks a reshuffled back three with enough pace and mischief to keep New Zealand’s defence guessing.
For Arendse, it is an opportunity to remind everyone why his name remains synonymous with finishing.
The Bulls flyer has scored 25 tries in 33 Tests, a strike rate that makes him one of the most dangerous predators in the Springbok backline.
“Kurt-Lee was unlucky not to play last week after Cheslin recovered from his niggle, so we are pleased to see him back,” Erasmus said.
“He is a quality player and his 25 tries in 33 matches so far shows the type of player he is.”
Erasmus has otherwise opted for continuity after the Springboks levelled the four-Test series in Cape Town.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
The front row has also been reset, with Ox Nche, Wilco Louw and Malcolm Marx returning to the starting lineup after Gerhard Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit and Deon Fourie started in Cape Town.
“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,” Erasmus said.
He added that the players moving to the bench remain vital weapons.
“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.”
Erasmus expects New Zealand to respond with the fury of a wounded heavyweight.
“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,” he said.
“They are one of the two best teams in the world and based on experience, they never give up, as we saw last weekend, so this will undoubtedly be another epic encounter between the sides.”
The stakes are enormous.
“This game is going to be equally, if not more intense than the last two given the fact that the team that wins this match will be two games up in the series,” Erasmus said.
“That will make the clash in the USA the decider or game that could see the series finish in a draw, so there will be a different vibe around this match.”
And then there is FNB Stadium.
“We are excited that we will be playing at the FNB stadium, where on a good day there is an 80 000-strong crowd,” Erasmus said.
“With the vuvuzelas and passionate crowd there, we can hardly hear one another on the field, so we are all thrilled about this occasion.”
The final warning was unmistakably Erasmus.
“But make no mistake, this is going to be another intense battle between the two top teams in the world who are both looking to get an edge in the series, so we know what we have to do, and composure and accuracy are going to be vital for both sides.”
For Arendse, the assignment is brutally simple.
Get the ball.
Find the gap.
Finish the job.