The Springboks ultimately got the job done at Ellis Park on Saturday, claiming a victory that looked to be slipping away from them during the third quarter of a thrilling match against the All Blacks.
In a bruising battle, the Springboks lost captain Siya Kolisi and winger Kurt-Lee Arendse in quick succession during the 31-27 win.
Arendse was knocked out cold, and HIA protocols dictate that he definitely won’t be available this week, while Kolisi suffered a suspected fractured cheekbone – and he is expected to be unavailable this week as well.
The Springbok team are set to tackle the All Blacks with an ever-increasing injury list
Last week, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus already highlighted the long list of players unavailable for selection, ranging from Damian Willemse to Andre Esterhuizen to Franco Mostert to Faf de Klerk and RG Snyman.
In the absence of Kolisi, Marco van Staden is now likely to return to the matchday 23, while Makazole Mapimpi should slot in for Arendse.
Despite the lengthy list of unavailable players, it has presented an opportunity for the Springboks to continue expanding their depth.
This past weekend Erasmus particularly praised the contribution of Aphelele Fassi and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – as well as Ben-Jason Dixon and Ruan Nortje – who started the game with 18 caps between them.
“We wanted to see how the newer players could handle the occasion and the pressure and Aphelele Fassi came through with flying colours,” said Erasmus.
“Sacha came through as well – but that’s not to say that Handre (Pollard) is out of it or that Manie (Libbok) is out of it. We’re going to keep on building the squad.
“To play New Zealand is big; to beat New Zealand and is big and for players to step up against Tier One nations like Ireland and against an amazing New Zealand team is really good for our long-term plans.”
The result means the Springboks remain the only undefeated team in the competition after three rounds, but Erasmus was not looking beyond next week’s return Test against the All Blacks in Cape Town.
Rugby Championship log:
WORLD RUGBY STANDINGS AFTER SATURDAY’S TESTS
| RANKING | COUNTRY | POINTS |
| 1 | South Africa | 93.37 |
| 2 | Ireland | 92.12 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 88.45 |
| 4 | France | 86.96 |
| 5 | England | 85.40 |
| 6 | Scotland | 82.82 |
| 7 | Argentina | 81.57 |
| 8 | Australia | 80.70 |
| 9 | Italy | 79.98 |
| 10 | Fiji | 77.92 |
| 11 | Wales | 76.04 |
| 12 | Georgia | 74.10 |
| 13 | Samoa | 73.54 |
| 14 | Japan | 72.12 |
| 15 | Portugal | 70.61 |
| 16 | Tonga | 68.29 |
| 17 | Uruguay | 67.39 |
| 18 | Spain | 66.29 |
| 19 | USA | 66.25 |
| 20 | Romania | 62.62 |
