Rassie Erasmus has welcomed Kurt-Lee Arendse back into the Springbok starting XV for Saturday's third Test against New Zealand at FNB Stadium, emphasising the need for continuity after the side's 33-26 victory in Cape Town.
The head coach made four changes and one positional switch to the team that levelled the four-match Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series. An injury to Damian Willemse prompted the reshuffle, with Cheslin Kolbe moving to fullback and Arendse drafted onto the wing. The front row of Ox Nché, Wilco Louw and Malcolm Marx returns to the starting team, with Gerhard Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit and Deon Fourie switching to the replacements bench.
"It was always our plan to have a little more continuity in player combinations for this series and we thought that the players who did the job for us last week really showed composure and did well to stick to the plan and what we wanted to achieve last week," Erasmus said. "Kurt-Lee was unlucky not to play last week after Cheslin recovered from his niggle, so we are pleased to see him back. He is a quality player and his 25 tries in 33 matches so far shows the type of player he is."
Erasmus expected New Zealand to respond forcefully after their defeat in Cape Town, with two matches remaining in the series. "We know how it felt after the first match in Johannesburg, and such a result really galvanises a team, so we have no doubt that they will go full-out to win this test match before the series finale in the USA next week," he said.