Rassie Erasmus has named a near-unchanged Springbok starting XV for Saturday's series decider against the All Blacks at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore (23h00 SA time, SuperSport), making only two adjustments to the side that won in Johannesburg last weekend.
Damian Willemse returns at fullback in place of the injured Cheslin Kolbe, who is among six players who remained in South Africa as the squad travelled directly to the USA. The Boks will continue on to Perth after Baltimore for the one-off Test against the Wallabies on 27 September. Morne van den Berg earns a start at scrumhalf following his impact off the bench last week, with Cobus Reinach moving to the replacements.
The Springboks lead the inaugural Castle Double Malt Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series 2-1. A win in Baltimore clinches the trophy; an All Blacks victory levels the series at 2-2.
Erasmus cited continuity and confidence in his group as the primary selection drivers. "We feel that the team is well settled and all the players delivered in their respective roles in the last two matches," he said. On Willemse, Erasmus noted the fullback would have started the third Test had it not been for a knock, while Van den Berg's promotion was reward for his performance last week: "He deserves a chance to start, so Cobus switches to the bench where he will add experience and skill in this vital match."
Erasmus is expecting a fierce All Blacks response. "Just like us, they are a proud team who showed last week that they will never stop fighting until the final whistle, so we are under no illusions about the magnitude of the challenge ahead."
Springbok team to face New Zealand in Baltimore: 15 Damian Willemse (54 caps), 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse (34 caps), 13 Jesse Kriel (93 caps), 12 Damian de Allende (102 caps), 11 Ethan Hooker (12 caps), 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (23 caps), 9 Morne van den Berg (9 caps); 8 Jasper Wiese (48 caps), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (101 caps), 6 Siya Kolisi — captain (106 caps), 5 Ruan Nortje (23 caps), 4 Eben Etzebeth (145 caps).