Springboks’ Malcolm Marx to earn 50th Test cap against New Zealand

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber has made three changes to his starting team that ran out for the final Test against Wales, for their opening Rugby Championship fixture against New Zealand in Nelspruit on Saturday.

Hooker Malcolm Marx will earn his 50^th Test cap and is in the starting fifteen in place of Bongi Mbonambi.

Faf de Klerk comes in at scrumhalf in a rotational switch with Jaden Hendrikse. The only injury-enforced change is on the right wing, where Kurt-Lee Arendse will earn his second Test cap in place of Cheslin Kolbe, who is recovering from a broken jaw.

Both Mbonambi and Hendrikse will play off the replacements bench. Rugby fans are looking forward to the match as it’s nearly eight years since the Boks last defeated the All Blacks in South Africa.

Tickets for the much-anticipated clash were sold out weeks ago. The last match between the two nations was a closely contested affair in the Gold Coast, Australia, last year which the Springboks won 31-29.

Nienaber says they want to make this a special occasion for Malcolm Marx.

“We always wanna make it special for players if it’s possible, it’s not always possible. If it’s possible we want to always if for a guy it’s a milestone test match. It’s always nice to start him. Not to say we won’t rotate like we’ve done in the past where we would start Coetzee and put Trevor on the bench or vise versa. But in this specific game, it’s always nice if a guy achieves a milestone game and you can start him off the bench.”