Rassie Erasmus has opted for bold changes as the Springboks seek to reignite their Rugby Championship campaign in Saturday’s high-stakes return clash against New Zealand in Wellington. After a narrow 24-17 defeat in Auckland, the Bok head coach has shaken up the entire backline in a move designed to sharpen attacking options and plug defensive leaks.

Promising fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is thrust into the No 10 jersey, partnering with scrum-half Cobus Reinach, while Ethan Hooker, just 20, is set for his first Test start on the wing. The midfield pairing is also fresh, with Damian Willemse shifting to inside centre and Canan Moodie taking up the outside role. Speedster Cheslin Kolbe remains on the right wing, with Aphelele Fassi recalled at full-back to inject pace and vision from deep.

Up front, Jasper Wiese returns at No 8 following suspension, lining up alongside Pieter-Steph du Toit and Siya Kolisi, who moves to the blindside. Lood de Jager replaces Eben Etzebeth in a significant lock partnership change with Ruan Nortje, as the Boks look to tighten up their line-out after costly errors last week. Malcolm Marx anchors the front row between Ox Nche and Thomas du Toit.

Erasmus acknowledged the pressure, stating, “We need a top-class performance to ensure that we are in contention to win the Castle Lager Rugby Championship. We know where we went wrong last week and what we must fix, and we’ll leave no stone unturned to fix those errors. There’s no doubt that we have to deliver a proper 80-minute performance to do well, and we will give everything to achieve that.”

The bench also features Grant Williams, Manie Libbok, and Andre Esterhuizen, offering tactical flexibility as the Boks chase a series-levelling win. All eyes will be on Wellington as South Africa’s hopes of defending their title hang in the balance.