Taking a closer look at the Springbok side to face the All Blacks at Eden Park

Project 2027 on hold as Rassie turns to proven campaigners

Erasmus has built a reputation for bold selections and tactical surprises that no one sees coming, but the most striking thing about his team selection for Saturday's potentially season-defining battle in Auckland is just how few surprises there are.

The Bok coach has leaned heavily on experience and continuity, trusting his most dependable stars to get the job done, with the inclusion of backline talents like Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Ethan Hooker, and front-rowers Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Boan Venter on the bench, representing his only real nod to the Springboks' future.

In other words, the Bok coach has - at least for the time being - put Project 2027 on hold, with Project 2019 and 2023 instead being wheeled out of the garage for another spin around Eden Park.

Considering the enormity of the clash and the threat of inclement weather in Auckland on Saturday, it's a decision that makes plenty of tactical sense - though it also puts the pressure squarely on the experienced campaigners, who now must deliver when it matters most. 

Erasmus has clearly weighed his options, however, and decided that this is the group best equipped to shoulder the responsibility.

Boks set to bring physicality and aerial threat

Unless Rassie is pulling off some elaborate ruse with his team selection - and we certainly can't rule that out - it's not hard to see how the Boks are going to try and win Saturday's match.

The battle for supremacy starts in the collisions, with a powerful pack and a midfield built to dominate contact. Eben Etzebeth and Ruan Nortje provide serious combustion in the engine room, as do the likes of Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit in the loose trio, leaving the Boks well-equipped to impose themselves in the rucks and mauls. At the back, Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel add hard-running and the power to get over the gain line in the midfield, ensuring the All Blacks will be constantly tested when the ball goes through the contact zone.

Meanwhile, expect the Boks to apply plenty of aerial pressure via the boots of Grant Williams and Handre Pollard - probing kicks designed to test New Zealand's back three. The All Blacks' fullback and wingers have, at times, shown vulnerability under the high ball, particularly when forced to cover ground quickly or deal with contested catches in heavy traffic.

Cheslin Kolbe, Willie le Roux, and Canan Moodie, supported by towering forwards like Du Toit, Etzebeth and Nortje, are primed to chase these kicks relentlessly, turning each contest in the air into an opportunity to pin the All Blacks back in their own half, or regain possession and launch a stinging counter-attack.

Then, likely early in the second half, Erasmus will turn to the Bomb Squad, freshening his front row and bringing on impact players like Kwagga Smith and Lood de Jager to finish the job and inject fresh energy and physicality in the game's latter stages.

It's a familiar approach, and while Erasmus may have recently suggested this isn't the blueprint for a 2027 World Cup win, on Saturday at Eden Park at least, he clearly believes it's what's needed to topple the All Blacks.

X-Factor on the bench

For all the talk of the Boks reverting to type, the inclusion of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu on the bench does bring a potential X-factor, with the young flyhalf capable of introducing an entirely different dimension to the Springboks' play.

It must have been tempting to consider starting Feinberg-Mngomezulu at 10 and having Pollard to come on in the second half and bring his steady boot and steely accuracy to bear - a tactic the Boks used to great effect during the World Cup in 2023 - but the massive challenge of playing the All Blacks at Eden Park has probably come a bit too early for the youngster.

In fact, Feinberg-Mngomezulu might not see any time at flyhalf, and could instead be used as a replacement at fullback, as he was used in Cape Town against the Aussies.

Whether that's the optimal scenario for the exciting talent remains to be seen. Erasmus has shown a willingness to deploy players wherever the team needs them most, but it's arguable whether stars like Feinberg-Mngomezulu or Moodie perform at their peak when outside their preferred positions.

Moodie, for example, looked threatening and scored some great tries in the midfield earlier this season, but appeared far less assured on the wing against Australia in Cape Town.

Similarly, Feinberg-Mngomezulu struggled to make a significant impact when he came on, though the Aussies did well to neutralise him by forcing him to field multiple high balls near the touchline - not exactly a typical day at the office for the flyhalf.

Meanwhile, young Ethan Hooker will also be itching for a chance to show what he can do on the biggest stage, also providing raw pace and line-breaking ability, giving the Boks another weapon off the bench capable of changing the game in an instant.

Conclusion

Rassie Erasmus sides are usually full of twists and unpredictability, but that's not the case this time around.

The Bok coach has laid his cards on the table, and there's little mystery about how he intends to approach Saturday's massive clash at Eden Park. With a pack built to dominate collisions, a midfield ready to smash the gain line, and a back three and halfbacks capable of applying relentless aerial pressure, the Springboks are going back to what they do best.

Exciting talents like Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Ethan Hooker offer the potential to shake things up, but for now, the game plan is straightforward: play to their strengths, trust experience, and put pressure on the All Blacks from the first whistle.

Erasmus isn't bluffing - he's betting on the power of his hand and hoping it's enough to win the whole pot. And given how successful this formula has been for the Springboks in the past, backing it again on Saturday at Eden Park looks like the smart play.

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.