"Kolbe vs Jordan" - 3 Key Battles: Springboks v All Blacks - 1st Test

South Africa will happily welcome the All Blacks to Ellis Park as the 'Boks boast an outstanding record at the ground. Ten wins against the All Blacks' six at the ground, one being the historic 1995 World Cup final won by South Africa in the second half of extra time with a drop goal by Joel Stransky.

South Africa have won 5 of the last 6 meetings between the two, with the last game resulting in a 10-43 thrashing by the Springboks in the Cake Tin in September of last year.

Dave Rennie has elected to bring in more experience after he gave some young guns a run in the easier fixtures against domestic opposition leading up to this match. Cam Roigard, Will Jordan, Damian McKenzie, and Ardie Savea return from their respective light injuries, bringing a wealth of experience and class with them.

Facing them, Rassie Erasmus has overhauled the side that beat Argentina 17-10 two weeks ago. Only Eben Etzebeth and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu keep their spots in the 4 and 10 jerseys. Damian de Allende will become a Test centurion under captain Pieter-Steph du Toit, who has only captained the nation twice in 95 Tests for South Africa.

In Rennie's hardest test yet against the world number ones, with rugby's greatest superstars on display, here are 3 key battles vital for this weekend's battle.

The try-scoring machines. Both wingers seem to be married to the scoresheet, and this battle will be a statement in the arguments for the best winger in the world. Your eyes will be glued to everything they do, and at least one of them will be sure to put points on the board.

Cheslin Kolbe has made 52 appearances for the Springboks and has scored in 24 of them. The Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath player made more line breaks than any other player with 25 in Japan's League One last season. He was one of two players to beat 100 defenders in the competition last season.

Kolbe loves tries. He also loves tries against the All Blacks. He scored twice in the win against the All Blacks last year and has scored 4 in his last 5 games. In his last game against England, he had 4 carries; however, he only broke the line once. He will look to put his shifty step to use and break through the line more to find the tryline again.

Will Jordan is no different to Kolbe with his relationship with tries. He boasts one of the most prolific finishing records ever, scoring 51 tries from his 57 Tests. He's scored 6 tries in his last 3 matches against Ireland, Italy, and France. He's scored 3 times in his 11 appearances against South Africa and will want to add to that tally.

Jordan is not limited to an attacking outlet. In this year's Nations Championship, he has completed 23 tackles at a rate of 7.67 per game. He will hope to keep Kolbe away from the tryline with some hard defensive hits. Jordan is especially valued by Rennie. He's been made part of the leadership squad and captained the side for a while against Italy in July.

"He's smart, he's got a really good rugby IQ, and he'd already scored three tries at that stage, so we thought we would cap it off by making him captain."

Whoever can hold off the other will be instrumental to who wins this game. Definitely one to keep your eyes on.

The battle between the new-gen 10s.

This battle between the two 10s is key. The two have recently become household names, both debuting for their national sides in 2024. Since then, they have done nothing but grow, with their incredible playmaking skills being showcased every time they each take the field.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu missed the start of the Nations Championship due to an ankle injury, and after disappointing slightly in the Argentina match a couple of weeks ago in his first return, we hope that he was just shaking off the rust.

The golden boy of South Africa will want to prove his point to continue to retain his spot over the ever-experienced and ever-looming Handre Pollard and Manie Libbok. Libbok will eagerly watch on from the bench this week, waiting to capitalise on any mistakes from Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Erasmus said this about the 25-year-old number 10: "Sacha has done wonderful things for us when he's played. He was the flyhalf last year when we beat them in Wellington."

However, he had to exit the field in the 18th minute due to an HIA and did not return. In the Nations Championship, the Springboks had an average of 28 kicks per game. They'll again exercise this strategy, and Feinberg-Mngomezulu's magical right boot will be instrumental for it to work. We hope he can find Cheslin Kolbe with a smart run on the wing, as they have done many times before.

The Springboks' 10 jersey isn't the only one that is up for grabs in world rugby. The All Blacks' number 10 jersey has also been in contention, with Ruben Love putting his best foot forward to make it his own.

With Mo'unga now joining the squad, Rennie said this about the No. 10 role: "We're really happy with how Ruben's been going… and Richie brings a lot of experience. But as I mentioned in the press statement, he's going to have to earn the right."

This Test will be his first real audition on the biggest stage. He'll be happy that the squad changes see him returning with local Hurricanes teammate Cam Roigard. It'll make him feel right back at home and will attempt to produce some of the same form through their synergy, which was showcased in their 2026 title-winning Super Rugby campaign.

This playmaking duel will be one to watch in this game. It could prove who deserves the No. 10 jersey and which team deserves the No. 1 spot in the world rankings.

The leadership battle. The two flankers are leaders and figures to look to for their respective squads. They will push their respective squads from the front, challenging them to bring their best.

The two-time World Rugby Men's Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit takes the captaincy role for the 3rd time in his 96th Test match for the Springboks. At 34, he shows little sign of slowing down and will try to prove that again this weekend.

Du Toit played all 240 minutes in the Springboks' first 3 games of the Nations Championship and will keep the team solid throughout. A multifaceted player, he's completed 36 tackles and has made 75m in carries.

Luke Jacobson has found himself as a favourite in the Dave Rennie era. He captained the team in the 52-0 win against the Sharks and is solidifying his spot in the team. Both offensively and defensively, he is extremely valuable.

With 93% pass accuracy and 4 dominant tackles in the Nations Championship so far, he works hard in both aspects of the game. His 23 carries will be something that New Zealand will target as well.

The All Blacks have been turning the ball over once every 32 rucks on this South Africa tour, compared to once every 69 in the Rugby Championship. Jacobson will be instrumental in being part of the change that sees New Zealand increase that number against very good opposition.

The battle between the two leaders will be extremely influential to see who can steadily steer their ship to victory.