South Africa rugby coach Rassie Erasmus on Wednesday named a 23-man squad to face defending champions New Zealand in their opening match of the 2019 Rugby World Cup on Saturday in Yokohama, Japan.
Erasmus cited consistency in selection and a strong group of experienced leaders as the reasons behind his selection of an unchanged squad.
“We have 31 players in the squad, any of whom I would be happy to select – as well as standby players back home – but this is a line-up that has worked well as a starting combination and one with real momentum to come from the bench. They have emerged together over the past 18 months as our game has developed and matured,” Erasmus said.
The 23-man team features the same starting fifteen players and eight substitutes who were involved in the Springboks’ 41-7 win against Japan in their final warm-up match in Kumagaya, Saitama.
Tendai Mtawarira and Frans Steyn are the most experienced players in the team with 11 Rugby World Cup caps each.
Regular captain Siya Kolisi will lead the side against the All Blacks having fully recovered from a knee injury for an extended period.
The 23 man squad to face the All Blacks in our opening Pool B match.#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/b5vjD3xXMV
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 18, 2019
This is the first time in 51 matches that the Springboks will play an unchanged 23-man squad. The last time that happened was during the 2015 Rugby World Cup when they faced the same opponents in the semi-final. The All Blacks won that encounter 20-18 and went on to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
Saturday’s match will be the fifth time the two sides have met at the Rugby World Cup. Both teams have recorded two wins against each other: the Springboks in the 1995 final and the 1999 bronze medal match, while New Zealand claimed the 2003 quarter-final and 2015 semi-final.
The last match between the teams was during the 2019 Rugby Championship in which South Africa snatched a thrilling 16-16 draw in Wellington.
