Springboks team to face All Blacks: Siya Kolisi left out

Thursday, 20 August 2026 at 12:52

byCharlie Elliott

Siya Kolisi has been left out of the Springboks squad for the first Test of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand.

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Kolisi has not been able to recover from the hamstring issues that meant that he missed the entirety of their Nations Championship campaign, and only played 24 minutes against Argentina ahead of the All Blacks Tests.

The bulk of Rassie Erasmus’ selected Springbok starting XV, including captain Pieter-Steph du Toit, began preparing for the series in Johannesburg last week while the remainder of the squad travelled to Argentina for their clash with Los Pumas.

Just two players who started in the 17-10 victory in Argentina have retained their places in the XV, with Eben Etzebeth at lock and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at fly-half. Seven more players who featured in Buenos Aires have been named among the replacements.

Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Marco van Staden and Cobus Wiese are included as utility forward options, while props Gerhard Steenekamp and Zachary Porthen also take their places on the bench. Andre Esterhuizen, who can cover flanker and centre, and scrum-half Cobus Reinach complete the group.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu will partner Grant Williams at halfback, with Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse joining Damian Willemse in the back three. Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel once again combine in midfield.

Ox Nche returns from injury to join Wilco Louw and Malcolm Marx in the front row. Etzebeth partners Ruan Nortje in the second row, while Paul de Villiers, Du Toit and Jasper Wiese form the loose trio.

Erasmus has kept the same replacement front row that featured two weeks ago, with Wessels, Steenekamp and Porthen providing cover.

Cobus Wiese, Van Staden and Esterhuizen are the other forward replacements, while Reinach and fly-half Manie Libbok are the specialist backs on the bench.

“The All Blacks are a quality team, and we selected combinations we think would be best suited for the challenge this weekend,” said Erasmus.

“The squad is well balanced with players who remained in South Africa to train for this series and some of the players who featured against Argentina.

“It certainly helped to have some players return from injury last week and to get back into top-flight Test rugby, while some of the others who had a heavy workload in the Nations Championship had sufficient time to recover from the physical toll on them.

“The whole group has now been together for over a week, and we are all aligned regarding the way we want to play this weekend.”

Explaining the decision to leave regular Springbok captain Siya Kolisi out of the side, Erasmus said: “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 (de Villiers) for this weekend’s game.

“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.

“We have a solid group of players, and each one of them deserves their places in the squad, so we will approach team selection week by week.”

Springbok team to face New Zealand in Johannesburg:

15 Damian Willemse, DHL Stormers
14 Cheslin Kolbe, DHL Stormers
13 Jesse Kriel, Canon Eagles
12 Damian de Allende, Wild Knights
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, Mitsubishi Dynaboars
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, DHL Stormers
9 Grant Williams, Kobe Steelers

8 Jasper Wiese, Urayasu D-Rocks
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, Toyota Verblitz
6 Paul de Villiers, DHL Stormers
5 Ruan Nortje, Kubota Spears
4 Eben Etzebeth, Hollywoodbets Sharks
3 Wilco Louw, DHL Stormers
2 Malcolm Marx, Kubota Spears
1 Ox Nche, Hollywoodbets Sharks

Replacements:

16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Vodacom Bulls
17 Gerhard Steenekamp, Vodacom Bulls
18 Zachary Porthen, DHL Stormers
19 Cobus Wiese, Vodacom Bulls
20 Andre Esterhuizen, Hollywoodbets Sharks
21 Marco van Staden, Vodacom Bulls
22 Cobus Reinach, DHL Stormers
23 Manie Libbok, Kintetsu Liners

LATEST RUGBY NEWS

Springboks handed toughest route to 2027 Rugby World Cup final

South Africa's quest for an unprecedented third successive Rugby World Cup title is beginning to take shape after the 2027 tournament draw was confirmed.

Rassie Erasmus' side have been handed a favourable pool on paper, but the knockout stages promise far tougher challenges. We take a look at the Springboks' projected route to the final and the obstacles standing between them and more history.

Pool stage draw

South Africa have been placed in Pool B alongside Italy, Georgia and Romania.

It looks like a favourable draw for the reigning world champions, with Italy expected to be their biggest rival for first place. Georgia's physical approach and Romania's powerful set piece should still demand respect, but South Africa will expect to top the group.

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Round of 16

The Springboks are currently projected to face the runner-up from Pool E, which is likely to be Japan or the USA depending on how that group develops.

Either side would be viewed as a manageable opponent, although South Africa will not have forgotten their famous defeat to Japan in 2015. They should still be expected to progress comfortably.

Quarter-finals

A quarter-final against one of the leading Tier 1 nations appears most likely, with New Zealand or Australia the probable opponents. England are an outside possibility, but that would require them to finish third in their pool, making that scenario unlikely.

Pool A is expected to be won by either New Zealand or Australia. While the All Blacks look stronger on paper, Australia will benefit from home advantage. Whoever emerges will provide South Africa's first major challenge of the tournament.

Semi-finals

The most likely opponents would come from the top half of Pool E, with France, Ireland, Argentina and Scotland all potential contenders. If results go as expected, France are the team most likely to reach this stage.

Although Les Bleus have occasionally found southern hemisphere opposition difficult, their world class talent makes them one of the strongest teams in the competition and a serious obstacle.

Final

England are the most likely opponents if South Africa reach the final, although New Zealand cannot be ruled out. England, Ireland and Argentina all appear well placed to come through the opposite side of the draw.

If the All Blacks fail to win their pool, they would also only be able to face the Springboks in the final.

Predicted Springboks World Cup route:

Pool Stage: 1st
Round of 16: Japan
Quarter-final: New Zealand
Semi-final: France
Final: England