The Springboks have more than a series victory to fight for when they face the All Blacks in Cape Town on Saturday, 29 August.
Rassie Erasmus’ side can immediately reclaim the No 1 spot in the World Rugby rankings with a victory over New Zealand in the second Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
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The Springboks surrendered top spot following their disappointing 33-16 defeat to the All Blacks at Ellis Park last Saturday.
New Zealand moved above South Africa after producing a dominant performance in Johannesburg, leaving the Springboks 1-0 down in the four-Test series.
But with the return fixture at Cape Town Stadium looming, the world rankings could change again.
How the Springboks can become No 1 again
The All Blacks currently sit on 94.03 ranking points, while the Springboks are on 92.21.
Despite the 1.82-point gap, South Africa does not need to win by a huge margin to regain top spot.
A Springbok victory by any margin would be enough to put them back at No 1.
Here’s how the points will change:
That makes Saturday’s encounter particularly important for the Springboks.
Revenge and rankings on the line
The primary objective will, of course, be to level the four-Test series.
After being thoroughly outplayed in Johannesburg, South Africa will be determined to produce a much-improved performance in front of their home supporters.
A victory would not only make it 1-1 in the series, but would also restore the Springboks to the summit of the world rankings.
The Test kicks off at 17:10.
World Rugby rankings ahead of Saturday’s Test in Cape Town
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Teams
South Africa – revised
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 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 (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Manie Libbok
New Zealand
15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leroy Carter, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (captain), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Fabian Holland, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 George Bower
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Josh Moorby
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Karl Dickson (England), Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
TMO: Brett Cronan (Australia)
