Eben Etzebeth will lead out South Africa at Mt Smart against the All Blacks on Saturday, despite the death of his father.
The stand-in skipper's dad, Harry, passed away on Wednesday, after a long illness, leaving his availability for the Rugby Championship clash under a dark cloud. The Springboks have confirmed the towering lock will captain the side, marking his return from a shoulder injury.
With regular skipper Siya Kolisi still sidelined with a serious knee injury, Etzebeth will lead South Africa against New Zealand.
All Blacks captain Sam Can has expressed his sympathy for the Springboks lock, and expects a tough battle against him and his team.
"It's obviously a pretty tough week for him and his family, and as a team, we send our condolences to the Etzebeth family," he said.
"It must be pretty tough for him being on the other side of the world. I suppose we will see each other at the coin toss and then do battle on the field."
Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber has opted for his go-to six-two forwards-dominated split on the bench, with six World Cup winners among the replacements.
Nicknamed the 'Bomb Squad', that bench is where the test match will be decided, says Cane.
"You can see by the bench they've picked, they believe it's going to be a game that's won up front and rightfully so," he said.
"We know their DNA and how they like to play - scrum, maul, penalties and set-piece. We're in for a big challenge.
"The last time we played them, we did really well in those areas, and I like to think we've improved since then. [I'm] just looking forward to it, it's going to be all on."
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