Rassie delays team announcement as he confirms Kolisi, Nche are carrying ‘niggles’

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and prop Ox Nche are among the favorites for the starting lineup in the opening Test of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks at Ellis Park on Saturday. Both players recently dealt with injuries, with Kolisi suffering a hamstring injury in the first half of their recent Test against Argentina and Nche suffering a knee injury in the first half of their opening Test against England.

Both have only played a limited amount of rugby for the team since returning from injury, with Nche only playing eight minutes and Kolisi 24 minutes. Coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed that both players are currently dealing with "niggles" rather than being injured, and if they can push through the pain, they have a good chance of making the starting lineup.

Erasmus also revealed that utility forward Franco Mostert is in good health and will likely feature in the first Test. He also stated that the team announcement would now take place on Thursday rather than the usual Monday or Tuesday, as he felt it was disrespectful to give the team a head start in preparation given the difficulty of the upcoming Test.

Erasmus dismissed the idea that the Boks would adopt a slower style of play against the All Blacks, stating that they would aim to find a balance between a slow, methodical approach and a quicker, attacking style.