Anticipation is building as the Springboks prepare to take on the All Blacks at Ellis Park on Saturday, and as always there will be many fans interested in knowing who will have the duty of singing the national anthems prior to kick off.

It has been confirmed to TheSouthAfrican that the SA national anthem will be sung by popular artist Demi Lee Moore.

Born in Worcester, South Africa, Demi Lee Moore gained widespread popularity after competing on Idols SA and winning season one of the TV singing contest Die Kontrak in 2018, which launched her career as an award-winning pop and country artist.

She is a prominent presence at major national music events like Afrikaans Is Groot.

Singing of the national anthems set to be a special experience at Ellis Park

Meanwhile, the New Zealand anthem will be performed by Matiu Walter, who is the frontman and rhythm guitarist for Six60, a record-breaking New Zealand pop-rock band formed in 2008 in Dunedin that has achieved massive multi-platinum success.

He has regularly performed “God Defend New Zealand” for the All Blacks – including an October 2020 Bledisloe Cup clash against Australia at Eden Park – but there is no record of him performing the South African national anthem at a Springbok match.

Just after the anthems are sung, New Zealand will head straight into what should be an epic haka at Ellis Park.

“I will WhatsApp and tweet to the people at Ellis Park to respect the haka”, Rassie Erasmus commented this weekend. “Ever since (New Zealand-born Springbok assistant coach) Tony Brown told us what it means, we not just respect it but admire it a bit more.

“We have always had this weird opinion about the Haka as an advantage, and why can the All Blacks do it… We always thought, how are we going to cancel this?

“But since Tony explained it, it’s actually an honour for us to face it… It doesn’t scare us. It’s not what it does to us, it’s what it does for them. You can’t nullify that.

“So us going into a huddle or steaming up to them won’t happen. It is something that is really powerful and something you are proud to see. After that, we can go crazy.”

Lots to look forward to

SuperSport has confirmed it will be bringing a blockbuster line-up to Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, led by All Blacks icons Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, alongside Springbok legends Jean de Villiers, Schalk Burger, and Steven Kitshoff, and an exceptional team of international and South African talent.

The international perspective will be complemented by a formidable collection of South African rugby legends, ensuring that the story is told with equal depth from the Springbok side. De Villiers, Burger and Kitshoff all bring first-hand experience of the demands of international rugby and the unique intensity that comes with facing New Zealand.

Their expertise will form part of a broader SuperSport team that will bring together an exceptional collection of presenters, analysts, commentators and rugby personalities. This includes Gcobani Bobo, Lyla Arrison, Ricky Schroeder, Tera Mtembu, Maso Jucwa, Hennie Koortzen, Motshidisi Mohono, Breyton Paulse, Mthunzi Mabeta, John van Rensburg, Kobus Wiese, Lonwabo Mthimka, Matt Pearce, Hanyani Shimange, Mandisa Williams, Nick Mallett and Akona Ndungane.

Kick off is at 17:10 in Johannesburg.