Pieter-Steph du Toit will become the 11th Springbok to reach 100 Tests when he takes the field at DHL Newlands on Saturday, joining Damian de Allende who achieved the milestone in last weekend's 16-33 defeat at Ellis Park — two centurions in consecutive Tests.
Eben Etzebeth extends his all-time Springbok caps record to 144, while prop Ox Nche reaches 50 Test appearances.
Deon Fourie, if he takes the field, would become the oldest Springbok to play in a Test at 39, going past Victor Matfield and Schalk Brits, both of whom were 38 in their final Tests. Saturday would also mark Fourie's first appearance since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against these same opponents.
Rassie Erasmus has made three changes to the starting XV that lost the first Test: Siya Kolisi returns to the starting blindside alongside Paul de Villiers, Handré Pollard and Cobus Reinach take over at halfback, and Ethan Hooker replaces the injured Cheslin Kolbe on the wing.
With Kolisi in the run-on side, the Springbok starting XV carries a combined 1,012 Test caps — the highest ever for a South African starting line-up. The backline accounts for 428 of those caps, the forwards 584, with a further 204 on the bench. Average caps per player stand at 61 in the backline and 73 among the forwards.
The Springboks have won five of the last seven meetings with New Zealand dating back to August 2023, including an 18-12 victory the last time the sides met in Cape Town in the 2024 Rugby Championship. A win on Saturday is required to keep South Africa's Greatest Rivalry series hopes alive.