CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Just 24 hours before South Africa hosts New Zealand in the second clash of a high-stakes four-test rugby series, two key starting players have been pulled from the match day lineup, the South African Rugby Union confirmed Friday.
Star flyhalf Handré Pollard was ruled out after picking up a minor but problematic muscle injury during Wednesday’s training session, with multiple reports pointing to a strained calf as the source of discomfort. The veteran playmaker underwent a formal fitness assessment Friday morning, but failed to meet the match readiness standards required to start this weekend’s game at Cape Town Stadium.
Taking Pollard’s place in the starting number 10 jersey will be Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who returns to the first XV, while Manie Libbok has been called up to join the team’s reserve bench for the fixture.
The second late change sees starting winger Kurt-Lee Arendse step back from the lineup, a swap driven by the timely recovery of fan-favorite Cheslin Kolbe. Kolbe was forced to exit last weekend’s opening test at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park with a combination of hamstring and ankle injuries, but has successfully worked his way back to full fitness in time for this round.
New Zealand claimed a commanding 33-16 victory in the first test, putting them 1-0 up in the four-test series and putting pressure on the South African side to respond in front of a home crowd this Saturday. These two changes mark the only adjustments South Africa has made to their starting 15, with the other new additions being captain and flanker Siya Kolisi and left winger Ethan Hooker, brought in ahead of the match week.