Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus on Tuesday included a host of stalwarts, who will all make a timely return from injury – including captain Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Morne van den Berg – in a quality match-23 to face Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
Andre Esterhuizen and Ethan Hooker, who picked up niggled during the Nations Championship last month, also make a welcome return in a starting team that shows 13 changes to the side that ran out against Wales in the Boks’ last Test.
Seven players who featured in the 43-0 victory over Wales in Durban retained their places in the match-23, only two of whom are the in the starting lineup in Aphelele Fassi (fullback) and Cobus Reinach (scrumhalf).
The other five players – Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Ben-Jason Dixon, Marco van Staden, Cobus Wiese (all utility forwards), and Gerhard Steenekamp (prop) – have been named on the replacements bench.
The starting team includes a completely new pack, with Boan Venter and Thomas du Toit packing down in the front row with Johan Grobbelaar, while Etzebeth will join forces with De Jager at lock, with Kolisi, Elrigh Louw, and Cameron Hanekom taking over the reins in the loose trio.
In the backline, Reinach and Feinberg-Mngomezulu are the halfbacks, while Esterhuizen will partner Canan Moodie in the midfield. Hooker, Edwill van der Merwe and Fassi form an exciting back three.
The match, which will be hosted at Estadio José Amalfitani in the Argentine capital, kicks off at 21h00 (SA time) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Springbok team to face Argentina in Buenos Aires:
15 Aphelele Fassi (Toshiba) – 17 caps, 35 pts (7t)
14 Edwill van der Merwe (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 6 caps, 25 pts (5t)
13 Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 25 caps, 45 pts (9t)
12 Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 30 caps, 25 pts (5t)
11 Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 9 caps, 10 pts (2t)
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 18 caps, 172 pts (9t, 44c, 13p)
9 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 52 caps, 100 pts (20t)
8 Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls) – 2 caps, 0 pts
7 Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 14 caps, 10 pts (2t)
6 Siya Kolisi (captain, DHL Stormers) – 103 caps, 70 pts (14t)
5 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 73 caps, 25 pts (5t)
4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 141 caps, 45 pts (9t)
3 Thomas du Toit (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 33 caps, 10 pts (2t)
2 Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls) – 9 caps, 0 pts
1 Boan Venter (Lions) – 9 caps, 5 pts (1t)
Replacements:
16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 12 caps, 10 pts (2t)
17 Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 18 caps, 10 pts (2t)
18 Zachary Porthen (DHL Stormers) – 5 caps, 5 pts (1t)
19 Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers) – 10 caps, 10 pts (2t)
20 Cobus Wiese (Vodacom Bulls) – 4 caps, 0 pts
21 Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 35 caps, 20 pts (4t)
22 Morne van den Berg (Lions) – 6 caps, 25 pts (5t)
23 Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls) – 86 caps, 830 pts (8t, 129 c, 175 p, 5dg)