Yahoo Sports Is South Africa vs New Zealand on TV today? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Rugby Championship fixture
World champions South Africa host New Zealand in the second round of the Rugby Championship, with the Springboks looking to take another step towards winning the competition.
Rassie Erasmus’ side have not won this tournament since 2019, despite winning the World Cup that year and last year. Nevertheless, a win over their closest challengers in Johannesburg would give them a lead that would be almost unassailable given their impressive wins over Australia.
The All Blacks arrive in South Africa having already lost one match in this competition – a defeat in their opener against Argentina.
And they need a win against the Springboks to close the five-point gap at the top of the table, with a defeat likely leaving them with hopes of second place at best.
And so the two most famous sides in the world meet again, with the result of this match potentially deciding the result of the tournament as a whole.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Rugby Championship clash:
When is it?
South Africa vs New Zealand kicks off at 4pm BST on Saturday, 31 August, and takes place at the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Action, with coverage starting at 3.50pm BST. Subscribers can also stream the match via Sky Go, or purchase a pass for NOW TV. If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Team news
South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus has returned to a more full-strength side after making 10 changes to the side that beat Australia in the opener.
This time, the majority of the pack returns, with the notable exception of Eben Etzebeth, who originally looked set to miss out through injury, but is now included on the bench.
And the back line returns to normal too, with Aphelele Fassi, Jesse Kriel and Cheslin Kolbe all keeping their places alongside new fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
New Zealand need to strike a blow early as they look to claw back some of the points lost to Argentina in the opener, and head coach Scott Robertson has chosen to go with experience in his starting 15.
Captain Scott Barrett takes his place in the second row alongside Tupou Vaa’i, with former captain Sam Cane also starting for the first time since the World Cup final after an injury to Dalton Papali’i.
In the backs, it is unchanged from the win over Argentina, with TJ Perenara continuing at scrum-half alongside Damian McKenzie at 10.
Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane are in midfield, with Caleb Clarke, Will Jordan and Beauden Barrett chosen as the back three for the first of the double-headers in South Africa.
Confirmed line-ups
South Africa XV: 1 Ox Nche, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 3 Frans Malherbe; 4 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 5 Ruan Nortje; 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 7 Ben-Jason Dixon , 8 Jasper Wiese; 9 Cobus Reinach, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu; 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 12 Damian de Allende, 13 Jesse Kriel, 14 Cheslin Kolbe; 15 Aphelele Fassi.
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Kwagga Smith; 22 Grant Williams, 23 Handre Pollard.
New Zealand XV: 1 Tamaiti Williams, 2 Codie Taylor, 3 Tyrel Lomax; 4 Scott Barrett, 5 Tupou Vaa’i; 6 Ethan Blackadder, 7 Sam Cane, 8 Ardie Savea; 9 TJ Perenara, 10 Damian McKenzie; 11 Caleb Clarke, 12 Jordie Barrett, 13 Rieko Ioane, 14 Will Jordan; 15 Beauden Barrett.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Mark Tele’a.
Odds
South Africa 2/5
Draw 25/1
New Zealand 2/1
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Prediction
South Africa look to continue their unbeaten start to the Championship but these two matches will definitely be their toughest tests of the tournament. Luckily, the Springboks are at home, and Erasmus’ side will know they can do damage to a team that has already lost to Argentina. Add in the psychological advantage of the World Cup final win, and the advantage is clearly on South Africa’s side. South Africa to win.
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