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2022 Rugby Championship
Round 2
South Africa vs New Zealand
Ellis Park
Johannesburg, South Africa
Saturday, 13 August 2022
Kick-off is at 17h05
South Africa will be looking to secure back-to-back victories against New Zealand when they meet in round 2 of the
Rugby Championship at Ellis Park on Saturday, August 13.
The Springboks beat the All Blacks 26-10 at the Mbombela Stadium last weekend, with 16 points coming from the boot of fly-half Handre Pollard.
As a result, Jacques Nienaber's side are second in the table, one point behind Australia, who occupy top spot thanks to their try bonus against Argentina.
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Nienaber has made five changes from the first test, which sees Duane Vermeulen, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche, Jesse Kriel, Jaden Hendrikse and Herschel Jantjies making their return to the starting XV.
Jasper Wiese, Malcolm Marx, Trevor Nyakane, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Faf de Klerk (injured) are the players to make way.
"We made a few changes to the team, but Duane, Jesse and Herschel are all experienced players who know our systems well and have been stalwarts for the Boks," Nienaber said.
"Ox has also shown his ability to make his presence felt in the front row, so he is back in the mix.
"Duane has a massive presence on the field and there is no bigger game for him to make his comeback from injury than facing the All Blacks.
"He is an enforcer on attack and defence and we know he will give everything against a physical All Blacks team that are desperate to bounce back strongly from a challenging run of results."
All Blacks coach Ian Foster is under immense pressure after overseeing five defeats in his last six matches and mounting injury concerns has made his job harder.
Jordie Barrett was forced off with a foot injury against the Boks, while his brother Beauden hurt his neck in an aerial challenge with Arendse.
Meanwhile, Will Jordan sat out training on Tuesday after picking up a stomach bug. The medical staff has cleared the Barrett siblings, but will only make a decision on their fitness closer to the second test.
"Jordie has a bad ankle, but it's not too bad, and Beauden went for a scan last night on his neck. That's clear, so we'll make a decision on that later in the week. But he's still a bit sore," Foster said.
Head-to-Head:
Matches - 102
South Africa - 38
New Zealand - 60
Draws - 4
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