Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus opted for consistency in selection for their penultimate Castle Lager Rugby Championship match, against Argentina at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday, making minimal changes to the side that secured a record 43-10 victory against the All Blacks in Wellington less than two weeks ago.
Erasmus made only two personnel changes to his starting XV, which will be led by Siya Kolisi in what will mark his 97th Test, with the experienced Eben Etzebeth and Damian Willemse taking over from the injured Lood de Jager and Aphelele Fassi at lock and fullback. As a result, Damian de Allende returns at inside centre alongside Canan Moodie in an exciting midfield combination.
The three changes on the replacements bench, which again feature five forwards and three backs, are the inclusion of Boan Venter at prop, which sees Jan-Hendrik Wessels serve as the replacement hooker, while scrumhalf Morne van den Berg takes over from Grant Williams, who is nursing a niggle.
“We were very pleased with the way the team rose to the challenge against the All Blacks in Wellington, and looking at the Pumas team and their strengths, we believe this would be the best team for this specific match,” said Erasmus.
“The make-up of this team not only allows us consistency in selection, but we’ll also have the vast experience of Eben and Damian de Allende in the starting team, who are excited to get back on the field again.
“On the bench, Jan-Hendrik covers prop and hooker equally efficiently, so Boan gets another chance along with Morne.”
Erasmus expected a monumental battle against the Pumas (9 pts), who trail the top-placed Wallabies (11 pts) on the Castle Lager Rugby Championship standings by only two points, while the Springboks are in second place and the All Blacks third, tied on 10 points.
“This is a vital match for both us and the Pumas, and if one takes into consideration that they beat New Zealand and Australia in the first four rounds of the competition, as well as the British & Irish Lions earlier in the season, there’s no doubt we’ll treat them the respect they deserve,” said Erasmus.
“They’ve made big strides in the last few seasons, and have an astute coach in Felipe Contepomi, so we know they are going to throw everything at us. Adding to that, they boast a strong forward pack and extremely talented backs, so they pose threats all around.”
The Bok coach, however, said the Boks were geared up for the challenge: “We’ve had a good few training sessions since assembling last Thursday, and the players know what they’ll be up against.
“Similarly to us, Argentina are a tremendously proud and passionate team, and they give everything for their country. They know that two good results could place them in a decent position to win the competition, so it’s going to be a hard grind of a match.
“As things stand, any team could win the title, so we need to capitalise on the point-scoring chances we create and play for the full 80 minutes if we want to get the desired result.
“Over and above that, we’ve faced them in Durban three times, and they’ve beaten us once, and that, combined with their self-belief, means the historical results between the teams will have no significance going into the clash.
“They are also ranked sixth in the world, ahead of the Wallabies, so we do not underestimate them.”
The match kicks off at 17:10 (SA Time).
Springbok team to face Argentina in Durban:
15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 43 caps, 66 points (6t, 9c, 4p, 2dg)
14 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) – 44 caps, 121 points (20t, 3c, 5p)
13 Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 18 caps, 40 pts (8t)
12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 91 caps, 55 points (11t)
11 Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 3 caps, 0 points
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 13 caps, 58 points (17c, 8p)
9 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 44 caps, 75 pts (15t)
8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 37 caps, 10 points (2t)
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 91 caps, 60 pts (12t)
6 Siya Kolisi (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 96 caps, 65 points (13t)
5 Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 11 caps, 0 pts
4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 136 caps, 35 points (7t)
3 Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 28 caps, 5 pts (1t)
2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 82 caps, 120 pts (24t)
1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 45 caps, 0 pts
Replacements:
16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 7 caps, 10 pts (2t)
17 Boan Venter (Edinburgh) – 4 caps, 5 pts (1t)
18 Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 22 caps, 0 pts
19 RG Snyman (Leinster) – 44 caps, 15 points (3t)
20 Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 57 caps, 55 points (11t)
21 Morne van den Berg (Lions) – 3 caps, 10 points (2t)
22 Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners) – 22 caps, 128 pts (1t, 42c, 13p)
23 Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 23 caps, 10 pts (2t)