The Springboks edged a brutal second test 33-26 in Cape Town this past weekend to square the four-match series at 1-1, but there is no rest for his battered and bruised players as he has opted for continuity against the All Blacks.
Cheslin Kolbe will move from wing to fullback with Damian Willemse sidelined through injury. Kurt-Lee Arendse comes into the squad to take the place of Kolbe in the number 14 jersey.
Erasmus has gone with the front row he initially picked to start in Cape Town with hooker Malcolm Marx, and props Ox Nche and Wilco Louw. They were switched just before kick-off with the front row that was on the bench, who are now back among the replacements - hooker Deon Fourie, and props Gerhard Steenekamp and Thomas du Toit.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will again start at flyhalf with Manie Libbok on the bench and no Handre Pollard due to a calf problem.
Captain Siya Kolisi again starts following his return from a hamstring injury and forms a back row with Pieter-Steph du Toit and number eight Jasper Wiese.
Lock Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok player of all time to 145 appearances.
“It was always our plan to have a little more continuity in player combinations for this series and we thought that the players who did the job for us last week really showed composure and did well to stick to the plan and what we wanted to achieve last week,” said Erasmus.
“Unfortunately, Damian Willemse took a knock in the first half and was not available for selection this weekend, and neither was Handre Pollard, and by sticking to these combinations and making one switch with Cheslin at fullback, we thought it would be the best for this match.
“Kurt-Lee was unlucky not to play last week after Cheslin recovered from his niggle, so we are pleased to see him back. He is a quality player and his 25 tries in 33 matches so far shows the type of player he is.”
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Erasmus expected the All Blacks to come out firing this weekend, saying they would have the same desperation to fight back after the Boks’ 33-26 victory, saw the teams draw the series with two matches to play.
“We know how it felt after the first match in Johannesburg, and such a result really galvanises a team, so we have no doubt that they will go full-out to win this Test match before the series finale in the USA next week,” said Erasmus.
“They are one of the two best teams in the world and based on experience, they never give up, as we saw last weekend, so this will undoubtedly be another epic encounter between the sides.
“After two games, we are both into hard Test rugby mode, and we have a good idea of what to expect from one another, so it is going to be another grind of a match.”
South Africa team: 15-Cheslin Kolbe, 14-Kurt-Lee Arendse, 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.