Springboks seek response against All Blacks in Cape Town: Pollard ruled out, Feinberg-Mngomezulu takes over at No. 10
South Africa play their second Test against New Zealand in Cape Town on Saturday, 29 August, in the four-match Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series, with the hosts taking the field at DHL Stadium under considerably greater pressure than just a week ago. The All Blacks won the opening match 33:16 in Johannesburg, even though the Springboks led 13:12 at half-time, giving New Zealand a 1:0 lead in a series that continues with two more matches in Johannesburg and Baltimore. According to the official schedules of the South African and New Zealand rugby unions, the second Test begins at 17:10 local time. For Rassie Erasmus's team, this is a match in which the result carries almost as much weight as the performance: defeat would mean falling 0:2 behind and leave the Springboks unable to win the series overall, although two victories in the remaining two matches could still produce a final 2:2 draw. That is why the Cape Town clash has turned into an early test of character for the back-to-back world champions, but also an opportunity for the All Blacks to confirm that their victory at Ellis Park was not an isolated flash.
Pollard ruled out after training problem
The biggest change to the South African team came immediately before the match. Handré Pollard, who had originally been named in the starting line-up at fly-half, was ruled out because of a problem sustained in training. According to an announcement by New Zealand Rugby, Pollard felt discomfort during training on Wednesday and, following an assessment on Friday, was withdrawn from the matchday squad. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu returns to his position, having started South Africa's previous two Tests, against Argentina and New Zealand in Johannesburg, while Manie Libbok was subsequently added to the replacements as cover at No. 10. The change is not merely a personnel one: Pollard and Feinberg-Mngomezulu offer different playing profiles, so the Springboks will have to adjust part of the plan that had been prepared during the week for a different distribution of the ball, kicking game and attacking direction.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu therefore gets another major match during a period in which South Africa are trying simultaneously to win and to broaden the pool of players capable of assuming key roles. His task will be especially demanding because he will face a New Zealand defence that withstood strong pressure in the first Test and then punished almost every serious mistake made by the hosts. In Johannesburg, the Springboks had periods of territorial and physical superiority, especially at the scrum, but too often failed to turn possession and entries into the opposition's 22 into points. The All Blacks, by contrast, showed greater efficiency when finishing attacks and ended the match with five tries compared with South Africa's one. The relationship between the control sought by the hosts and the speed with which New Zealand punish lost possession will be one of the key issues in the second encounter.
Kolbe returns, Kolisi leads the Springboks again
There is also important good news for the hosts. Cheslin Kolbe has recovered from the knock that forced him to leave the first Test and returns to the starting line-up on the right wing. According to the official team announcement, Kolbe comes in for Kurt-Lee Arendse, who after the latest change dropped out of the entire 23-man squad, while Ethan Hooker remains on the left wing. Kolbe's return gives the Springboks back one of their most dangerous players in open space, as well as an additional option for kicks at goal following Pollard's withdrawal. In the first Test, it was Kolbe who scored South Africa's remaining points after André Esterhuizen's only try, so his presence carries both tactical and psychological value.
Siya Kolisi will again be captain. SA Rugby announced earlier in the week that Kolisi had recovered from the hamstring injury he sustained against Argentina three weeks earlier and was ready to play in Cape Town. His return to the starting line-up stabilises a highly experienced South African back row that will also feature Jasper Wiese and Pieter-Steph du Toit. In the first match, the Springboks lost discipline late on and finished the contest with two players in the sin bin, while New Zealand used the final quarter to pull decisively clear. Kolisi and the coaching staff therefore stressed ahead of the return match the need for a calmer, more precise and more efficient performance, regardless of the emotional intensity that this kind of rivalry almost always carries.
Major milestones for Du Toit and Nché
The match will have special significance for Pieter-Steph du Toit. SA Rugby confirms that the two-time World Rugby Player of the Year will make his 100th Test appearance for the Springboks and become only the 11th South African international to reach a three-digit number of caps. Du Toit has for years been one of the fundamental players in South Africa's defensive system, off-the-ball work and pressure on opposing playmakers, and his milestone comes against the very team that for decades has been the principal benchmark of South African ambitions. In the context of a match in which the hosts must increase their intensity while simultaneously maintaining discipline, his ability to cover space and work in contact will be particularly important.
Ox Nché also reaches a personal milestone as he will play his 50th Test for South Africa. The loosehead prop is one of the players on whom the Springboks have built their reputation for an exceptionally powerful scrum in recent years, and that very area was among the few in which the hosts enjoyed clear periods of superiority in Johannesburg. The problem was that the advantage was not converted sufficiently into points. If South Africa want to level the series in Cape Town, it will not be enough simply to win penalties or territory through the scrum; they will have to turn such situations into a concrete sequence of attacks, points and sustained pressure. Nché's milestone appearance therefore naturally overlaps with one of the hosts' main tactical priorities.
All Blacks change the pack but retain their key core
New Zealand arrive in Cape Town with several changes, but without a radical departure from the team that won the first Test. According to the line-up announced by New Zealand Rugby, George Bower starts at loosehead prop, while Ethan de Groot is out of the squad because of protocols following a head injury assessment. Tupou Vaa'i moves into the second row, Simon Parker starts at No. 6, while Xavier Numia and the experienced Patrick Tuipulotu are among the replacements. In the back three, Leroy Carter comes in on the left wing, while Josh Moorby, one of the try-scorers in Johannesburg, moves to the bench. Captain Ardie Savea remains at No. 8, Ruben Love at fly-half, Cam Roigard at scrum-half, Will Jordan on the right wing and Damian McKenzie at full-back.
All Blacks coach Dave Rennie said when announcing the team that he expects improvement from both sides compared with the first Test. His team came to Johannesburg with a clear plan to speed up the game and exploit space after contact, but the 33:16 victory was not the result of complete dominance in every area. The Springboks remained in the match for a long time, had a strong scrum and led at half-time, but New Zealand were more precise when opportunities opened up. Will Jordan scored two tries, while Josh Moorby, Fabian Holland and Luke Jacobson added one each. André Esterhuizen scored South Africa's only try, and New Zealand's finish to the match turned what had been a close contest on the scoreboard into a convincing victory.
The first Test showed where the Springboks must improve
The result from Johannesburg can be misleading if only the final 17-point margin is considered. South Africa were not without periods of control, but a combination of technical errors, lost possession, weaker execution in the opposition zone and indiscipline allowed New Zealand to convert a significantly higher percentage of their opportunities. According to the report from the first Test, the hosts led 13:12 after 40 minutes, but the All Blacks took the scoring initiative after the break and scored three tries in the second half. Fabian Holland crossed shortly after the interval, Luke Jacobson in the 59th minute, and Jordan sealed the victory with his second try late on. For Rassie Erasmus's team, the message is clear: physical superiority in individual phases will not be enough without control of the ball and more efficient finishing of attacks.
After the defeat, Erasmus reminded everyone that his team had been in difficult situations before and that the response had to come through performance rather than panic. A similar tone was maintained throughout the week. Scrum-half Cobus Reinach stressed that the team had learned lessons from the defeat and needed to grow as a unit, while assistant coach Mzwandile Stick and Kolisi said ahead of the Cape Town match that the Springboks wanted to correct what had not worked in Johannesburg. Such statements do not change the mathematical pressure of the series, but they show that the hosts do not want to turn the second match into a panicked search for revenge. The key will be to find a balance between the aggression required against the All Blacks and the precision without which such aggression can easily turn into penalties, lost possession and open space for counter-attacks.
Cape Town as a new stage for an old rivalry
The venue adds further weight to the match. According to New Zealand Rugby's figures, South Africa and New Zealand had played 111 Tests against one another before this encounter, with 64 New Zealand victories, 43 South African wins and four draws. This will be only the All Blacks' second Test at DHL Stadium, while their previous ten Tests in Cape Town were played at the old Newlands. One of the oldest and best-known international rivalries in rugby thus gains a relatively new stadium backdrop while retaining all the historical layers that accompany meetings between these two teams.
The 2026 series was conceived as a return to the format of major tours. The official All Blacks website states that this is the first New Zealand tour of this kind in South Africa for 30 years, featuring a series of matches against club or provincial teams and four Tests against the Springboks. After Cape Town, the teams will meet again in Johannesburg on 5 September, this time at FNB Stadium, while the final Test will be played on 12 September at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, United States of America. That schedule means that in a very short period the series will move from South Africa's traditional rugby centres to the North American market, giving it broader commercial and international significance as well.
Defeat would leave the Springboks no room for another slip
The mathematics of the series further increases the importance of Saturday's clash. If New Zealand take a 2:0 lead, South Africa will no longer be able to win the series; the most they could achieve would be victories in the third and fourth Tests for a final 2:2 result. The official trophy concept provides that, in the event of a drawn series, each team would retain one half of the trophy, while the overall winner receives both halves. A Springboks victory in Cape Town, however, would reset the series and turn the next match in Johannesburg into a completely open battle for the lead before the trip to Baltimore.
The question surrounding the second Test will therefore be broader than whether South Africa can respond to the 16:33 defeat. The Springboks must show that they can retain their traditional advantages at the scrum and in contact while simultaneously reducing the number of errors and improving their execution when they enter deep into New Zealand territory. Feinberg-Mngomezulu must take over the organisation of the attack following Pollard's late withdrawal, Kolbe returns as one of the main sources of unpredictability in the outside backs, while Kolisi and Du Toit need to provide discipline and intensity in the defensive block. The All Blacks, encouraged by their efficient victory in Johannesburg, have the luxury of a lead in the series, but Rennie's assessment that both teams will be better in the second Test probably best describes the challenge awaiting them. Cape Town therefore offers not only another chapter in a great rivalry, but also a match that could, after only two rounds, define the limits of everything that remains possible in the rest of the series.
Sources:
- SA Rugby – official announcement of Pieter-Steph du Toit and Ox Nché's milestones in the second Test against New Zealand (link)
- SA Rugby – confirmation of Siya Kolisi's recovery and his return to the starting line-up for Cape Town (link)
- New Zealand Rugby / All Blacks – updated Springboks line-up following Pollard's injury, Kolbe's return and the 23-man squad (link)
- New Zealand Rugby / All Blacks – All Blacks line-up for the second Test, changes to the team, historical statistics and kick-off time (link)
- SA Rugby – official report on New Zealand's 33:16 victory in the first Test in Johannesburg (link)
- New Zealand Rugby / All Blacks – official schedule of the four-match series and context of the 2026 tour through Cape Town, Johannesburg and Baltimore (link)
- SA Rugby – Rassie Erasmus's statement after defeat in the first Test and the context of the team's response in the remainder of the series (link)
- SA Rugby – Cobus Reinach's comments on the lessons from Johannesburg and preparations for the second Test (link)
- SA Rugby – comments by Mzwandile Stick and Siya Kolisi ahead of the second Test in Cape Town (link)
- SuperSport – match record and scorers from the first Test between South Africa and New Zealand in Johannesburg (link)