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The Springboks have made nine changes to their side that suffered a narrow last-gasp loss to the Wallabies in the opening round of The Rugby Championship in Brisbane last week.
Initially it was planned that eight changes would be made to the team, however a hamstring injury to JP Pietersen suffered at training has forced Cornal Hendricks to move to the wing, making room for the uncapped Lionel Mapoe on the bench.
The loss of Pietersen is a big blow for the Springboks, however Hendricks does have experience (and a recent try) against the All Blacks up his sleeve.
Of the nine changes to the team, five are on the bench, one is in the backs and three are to the pack.
Heinrich Brussow will pull on the number 6 jersey in his first Test cap since the 2011 World Cup, while Francois Louw will move to number seven.
Lood de Jager will start at lock in place of the injured Victor Matfield.
Speaking on the selections, head coach Heyneke Meyer stated: “Injuries have forced our hand a bit, but we’ve stuck with our planned rotational policy on the bench and it will be great to see what Heinrich, Vincent and Flip can do.
“The breakdown battle will again be huge and it will be good to see Heinrich and Francois play together. They are versatile players and I am convinced they will combine perfectly.
“This will be a massive Test – every match against the All Blacks is.”
Springboks team to face All Blacks in Johannesburg:
15 Willie le Roux
14 Cornal Hendricks
13 Jesse Kriel
12 Damian de Allende
11 Bryan Habana
10 Handré Pollard
9 Ruan Pienaar (vice-captain)
8 Schalk Burger (captain)
7 Francois Louw
6 Heinrich Brussow
5 Lood de Jager
4 Eben Etzebeth
3 Jannie du Plessis
2 Bismarck du Plessis
1 Tendai MtawariraReplacements:
16 Adriaan Strauss
17 Trevor Nyakane
18 Vincent Koch
19 Flip van der Merwe
20 Warren Whiteley
21 Cobus Reinach
22 Pat Lambie
23 Lionel Mapoe
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