Handre Pollard’s calf problem was flagged in a session at the Cape Town camp and reassessed on Friday morning, when the World Cup-winning fly-half was ruled out of Saturday’s rematch. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who had started at 10 in the 33-16 defeat at Ellis Park and been shifted to the bench for this weekend, moves back into the starting XV.

Manie Libbok, dropped from the matchday 23 on Monday, comes back onto the bench as fresh No 10 cover.

New Zealand lead the two-match Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series 1-0 after their opening win, and Rassie Erasmus’s side must take Saturday’s result to avoid a home series defeat.

Kolbe back, Arendse out of the 23

The wing news is a straightforward swap. Cheslin Kolbe, left out of the matchday squad on Monday after picking up an injury in the first test, has trained through and returns at 14. Kurt-Lee Arendse, who moved across from the left in the Monday version of the squad, drops out of the 23 altogether.

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Ethan Hooker keeps the left wing spot. Damian Willemse continues at full-back and the midfield of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel is unchanged, with Cobus Reinach starting at scrum-half and Morne van den Berg on the bench alongside Libbok.

Du Toit’s century, Fourie’s record on the bench

Pieter-Steph du Toit will become the 11th Springbok to reach 100 Test caps. Loosehead prop Ox Nche brings up 50 in the same match.

The bench carries a milestone of its own. Deon Fourie, 39, is included among the replacements and, if he takes the field, will become the oldest player ever to represent South Africa. Fourie last featured in a Springbok matchday 23 at the 2023 World Cup final.

“It is a remarkable achievement to play 100 Test matches, and for Pieter-Steph to deliver week in and week out the way he has over the years is incredible,” Erasmus said when the milestone was set up.

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The plan Erasmus had picked on Monday

Pollard’s late withdrawal reopens a position Erasmus had specifically resolved four days earlier. The head coach had moved Feinberg-Mngomezulu to the bench after errors in Johannesburg and reinstated the veteran half-back pairing of Pollard and Reinach.

“Handre has delivered for us under extreme pressure, and we feel that what he and Cobus have the potential to bring stability at the beginning of the game, and then have Morne and Sacha come on later with their different styles of play, will be good for us this weekend.”

That plan lasted four days. Feinberg-Mngomezulu now inherits the shirt anyway, into the same attack Erasmus had picked apart mid-week: 11 entries into New Zealand’s 22 at Ellis Park had produced only one try.

Kick-off in Cape Town is 5:10pm local time on Saturday.

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