Confirmed: When Springboks will name team for Baltimore Test

The Springboks defeated New Zealand 29-24 in front of a vociferous crowd of 86000 in Johannesburg to take a two-one lead in the series this past weekend. Hours later, the two sides boarded the same plane to the USA, touching down in Baltimore on Sunday afternoon.

Unfortunately, Cheslin Kolbe wasn’t able to travel with the Springbok team after fracturing his jaw, while Carlu Sadie, Boan Venter, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Cobus Wiese and Ben-Jason Dixon also didn’t make the trip.

However, backs Damian Willemse, Grant Williams and Canan Moodie, all of whom have struggled with injuries in recent weeks, are fit and did travel to the USA.

Coach Rassie Erasmus will announce his squad for the match on Monday evening (20:00 SA time).

Springboks set sights on final Test

Should the Boks win Saturday’s Test at the M&T Bank Stadium, they will clinch the title, and young wing Ethan Hooker said the team were looking forward to giving it a full go.

“It’s a neutral venue so it’s going to be closer to 50-50 (in terms of the support), but it is my first time in America, and I’m looking forward to the experience.

“We normally have the privilege of facing the All Blacks twice a year, but now we have the chance to play them four times back-to-back. It’s tough mentally and physically, but we are all honoured and really privileged to be able to face such a prestigious team four times in a row.”

Responding to what switch the Boks made after suffering a defeat in the opening game of the series, Hooker said: “There was quite a bit of pressure, especially after losing the first game, but we knew the third game was always going to be make or break for either team.

“We tried to focus on ourselves, what we do, and what works for us, and as a group we said we’re going to put everything into that game, and if we win, great, but if we lose, we’ll go again next week.

“We still have one game to play, so it’s not done. We want to lift our standards and we’re going to focus all our energy on that.”

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry fixtures and results

• Friday, 7 August: Stormers 21-38 New Zealand, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
• Tuesday, 11 August: Sharks 0-54 New Zealand, Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
• Saturday, 15 August: Bulls 19-50 New Zealand, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
• Saturday, 22 August: First Test, Springboks 16-33 New Zealand, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
• Tuesday, 25 August: Lions 35-41 New Zealand, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
• Saturday, 29 August: Springboks 33-26 New Zealand, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
• Saturday, 5 September: Springboks 29-24 New Zealand, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg – 17:10
• Saturday, 12 September: Springboks v All Blacks, Fourth Test, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, United States – kick off at 23:00 (SA time)