Kolisi, Pieter-Steph return as Erasmus names formidable Bok lineup for Eden Park

The only real surprise is that experienced centre Jesse Kriel will retain the captaincy despite the return of Siya Kolisi, who will once again wear the No 8 jersey in the continued absence of Jasper Wiese - although Erasmus was quick to explain the decision.

Kolisi is joined by returning two-time World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit and Marco van Staden in a formidable loose trio.

The only other major change from the side that did battle against the Aussies in Cape Town is the return of South Africa's most experienced player, Eben Etzebeth, in the second row alongside Ruan Nortje.

The front row of Thomas du Toit, Malcolm Marx and Ox Nche is unchanged, as is the choice of Handre Pollard and Grant Williams as the halfback pairing.

Kriel is once again joined by the ever-dependable Damian de Allende in the midfield, while Canan Moodie continues to fill in for Kurt-Lee Arendse on the wing. Willie le Roux is again named at fullback, after he was selected to start in Cape Town before being forced to pull out with a niggle.

Erasmus made three personnel changes to the replacements bench, which features five forwards and three backs, with Jan-Hendrik Wessels taking over from Marnus van der Merwe at hooker, Kwagga Smith moving back to the bench in the void left by Etzebeth, and utility back Ethan Hooker featuring in his second Test in place of Andre Esterhuizen.

"We selected the best possible team we could for the match, knowing that this is going to be an epic encounter against the All Blacks at Eden Park, and many of these players have done the job for us before against them," said Erasmus.

"This is obviously going to be a completely different challenge to what we've faced against them in the last two years, with the match being hosted in New Zealand, and also at a venue where they hold a fantastic record.

"That said, we've been working hard on the detail we wanted to iron out following the matches against the Wallabies since arriving in Auckland, so it's now up to us to implement our plans and deliver a performance that we can be proud of."

The Springboks are attempting to break their hoodoo at Eden Park - where they last won in 1937 and the All Blacks haven't lost since 1994 - while the Freedom Cup is also on the line.

"The history and rivalry between the sides speaks for itself. There are records on the line for both teams, and there's no doubt that this game will be important in trying to win the competition, especially given how close the standings are at this stage. It's definitely going to be a special match, and both teams will give everything they out there."

Commenting on the decision to hand the captaincy to Kriel rather than regular skipper Kolisi, Erasmus said: "Siya was touch and go for the match earlier in the week after picking up a niggle a few weeks ago, and we didn't want to risk him unnecessarily, but with Jean-Luc du Preez having picked up a niggle at training this week, Siya was the obvious choice to slot in at No 8.

"At that stage, Jesse had already been told he would be the captain, and it was only fair for us to keep things that way. He's a great leader and one of the core players in our team. His communication with the referee and his teammates is good, and he leads by example in the way he plays, so he deserves this opportunity.

"It will also be a big occasion for him to captain the team against the All Blacks for the first time, so we are proud of Jesse, and we know he'll carry this responsibility with great pride."

The match kicks off Saturday morning at 09h05 (SA time).

Springboks - 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Siya Kolisi, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.

Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Ethan Hooker.