Forty-eight hours before kick-off in Cape Town, Rassie Erasmus thought he had his plan locked in. Handré Pollard at fly-half, a tight defensive gameplan, and the kind of metronomic goal-kicking that steered South Africa to the 2023 Rugby World Cup title. Then a training-ground niggle changed everything. Pollard failed his fitness test on Friday morning, and the blueprint was torn up before the ink had dried.

In comes Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 24 years old and carrying form that has raised questions rather than answered them. He struggled in last week's 33-16 defeat at Ellis Park, and his earlier comeback against Argentina did little to silence the doubters. Yet the selection is not as desperate as it first looks — Feinberg-Mngomezulu possesses a rare attacking skill set that has long marked him out as a future global star, and against an All Blacks side riding momentum, South Africa may need flair as much as precision. The switch is sharpened further by another change: Cheslin Kolbe comes in to replace Kurt-Lee Arendse on the wing and, crucially, takes over goal-kicking duties.

That detail matters in Cape Town's forecast wet conditions, where points from the tee could decide the series. Erasmus himself admitted after the first Test that poor decision-making cost his side dearly, pointing out bluntly that "three points is two less than five." Social media, predictably, is already asking the obvious question: is this misdirection? Erasmus has previous for such tactical theatre, and the neat convenience of Kolbe's recall only adds fuel.