Ox Nché, Wilco Louw and Malcolm Marx return to the starting front row, with Gerhard Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit and Deon Fourie moving to the bench.

An injury to Damian Willemse has forced a change in the backline, with Cheslin Kolbe switching to fullback and Kurt-Lee Arendse returning to the wing.

Siya Kolisi - Johan Orton

“It was always our plan to have a little more continuity in player combinations for this series,” said Erasmus.

“Unfortunately, Damian Willemse took a knock in the first half and was not available for selection this weekend, and neither was Handré Pollard. By sticking to these combinations and making one switch with Cheslin at fullback, we thought it would be the best for this match.”

Arendse was unlucky to miss last weekend after Kolbe recovered from a niggle, but the winger now returns to the starting XV.

“Kurt-Lee was unlucky not to play last week after Cheslin recovered from his niggle, so we are pleased to see him back. He is a quality player and his 25 tries in 33 matches so far shows the type of player he is.”

With the Springboks’ 33-26 victory last weekend levelling the series, Erasmus expects the All Blacks to respond strongly in Soweto.

“We know how it felt after the first match in Johannesburg, and such a result really galvanises a team, so we have no doubt that they will go full-out to win this Test match before the series finale in the USA next week,” he said.

Damian Willemse - Johan Orton

“They are one of the two best teams in the world and, based on experience, they never give up, as we saw last weekend, so this will undoubtedly be another epic encounter between the sides.”

Erasmus expects another physical battle between two teams that have now settled into Test-match mode.

“After two games, we are both into hard Test rugby mode, and we have a good idea of what to expect from one another, so it is going to be another grind of a match.”

The decision to restore the original starting front row was partly influenced by the conditions.

“We decided to change our front rows last week due to the weather conditions, and Johannesburg weather is different to Cape Town, so we thought this would be the best decision for us this weekend,” Erasmus explained.

He also backed his experienced replacements to make an impact against an All Blacks team renowned for fighting until the final whistle.

Erasmus is relishing the prospect of playing in front of a huge crowd at the Calabash, with the famous Soweto atmosphere adding another layer to an already intense rivalry.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu - Morgan Piek

“We are excited that we will be playing at the FNB Stadium, where on a good day there is an 80 000-strong crowd,” he said.

“With the vuvuzelas and passionate crowd there, we can hardly hear one another on the field, so we are all thrilled about this occasion.”

But once the noise dies down, Erasmus knows composure and precision will be crucial.

Saturday’s third Test at Soccer City kicks off at 17:10.

Springboks - 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché

Replacements - 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 André Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morné van den Berg, 23 Manie Libbok

All Blacks - TBA

Morgan Piek OFM Sport