Springboks centre Damian de Allende is set to become only the 10th player in South African rugby history to earn 100 Test caps when the Springboks face New Zealand in the opening match of the inaugural Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry at 10bet Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.
De Allende, who made his international debut against Argentina in 2014, will reach the milestone as part of a strong Springbok side named by head coach Rassie Erasmus for the highly anticipated clash.
The team features a blend of continuity from last weekend’s 17-10 victory over Argentina and players who remained in South Africa to prepare for the four-Test series against the All Blacks.
Only Eben Etzebeth and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu retain their starting positions from the Argentina match. Seven other players who featured in Buenos Aires — Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Marco van Staden, Cobus Wiese, Gerhard Steenekamp, Zachary Porthen, Andre Esterhuizen and Cobus Reinach — have been named among the replacements.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu will partner Grant Williams at halfback, while Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Damian Willemse make up the back three. De Allende will form the midfield partnership with Jesse Kriel.
Ox Nche returns from injury to join Wilco Louw and Malcolm Marx in the front row, with Etzebeth and Ruan Nortje paired in the second row. Paul de Villiers, captain Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese complete the loose trio.
De Villiers will make his first Test appearance against New Zealand, with Siya Kolisi left out of the matchday squad as Erasmus takes a cautious approach to the Springbok captain’s return.
Siya trained well with us this week, and although we could have selected him for this clash, we thought it would be best to select Paul for this weekend’s game,” said Erasmus.
“We are playing four Tests against the All Blacks and Paul has been playing well, so we are excited to give him a chance this weekend in what will be his first Test match against New Zealand, while taking a precautionary approach to Siya’s return.”
Erasmus also praised De Allende ahead of his milestone appearance.
We are all very excited for Damian, and to achieve this milestone in this series makes it even more special,” he said.
“He’s a great team man, and servant to the game, so we hope we can make it a memorable day for him.”
The Springboks will be expecting another fiercely contested encounter against the All Blacks, having won five of their last six meetings since August 2023, including the 2023 Rugby World Cup final.
The last meeting between the sides in Johannesburg came in the 2024 Castle Lager Rugby Championship, when South Africa claimed a 31-27 victory.
Erasmus expects another demanding contest on Saturday.
They are a quality team and they’re very well coached, so we are preparing for an 80-minute grind,” he said.
“They have a well-rounded squad with physical forwards and an exciting backline, so we have to be sharp and accurate in our execution from the outset.”
The match kicks off at 17:10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Springbok XV
De Allende’s 100th Test will also bring him into an exclusive group of Springbok centurions, while Du Toit is one appearance away from joining the same club.
Etzebeth, meanwhile, will extend his record as South Africa’s most-capped player to 143 Tests, while Nche will move to within one appearance of his 50th Test.
The Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series also marks the first traditional All Blacks tour of South Africa since 1996.