Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has made four changes to the match-23 for Saturday’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship decider against the Pumas at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham in London.
Ox Nche returns to the starting team, as well as Grant Williams, Jesse Kriel and Bongi Mbonambi on the bench.
Nche was a late withdrawal last week in Durban after he pulled up with a niggle, but the loosehead prop is back and will pack down in the front row with Malcolm Marx and Thomas du Toit, while the three new players on the replacements bench – which again feature a split of five forwards and three backs – are Williams at scrumhalf, Mbonambi at hooker, and Kriel as a utility back.
The rest of the squad remains unchanged, with Eben Etzebeth starting at lock alongside Ruan Nortje in what will mark his 138th Test, with captain Siya Kolisi, who will earn his 98th cap, partnering up with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese in the loose trio.
In the backline, Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are again the starting halfbacks, while Ethan Hooker and Cheslin Kolbe retain their places on the wing, Damian de Allende and Canan Moodie in the midfield, and Damian Willemse at fullback.
On the bench, Mbonambi will form a back-up front row with props Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Wilco Louw, with RG Snyman covering lock and Kwagga Smith loose forward. Williams will provide an impact in the backline with Manie Libbok and Kriel.
“This match is a Final for us, and we know how dangerous Argentina can be, so we selected combinations we feel will be best suited for this game,” said Erasmus.
“There are minimal personnel changes, with the bulk of the team having done the job for us last week against the Pumas in Durban and our other Castle Lager Rugby Championship matches.
“Ox and Grant could have played last week if we really needed them, but Boan (Venter) and Morne (van den Berg) did really well, while Jesse was rotated in the last two matches and is raring to go. The same applies to Bongi, who last played against Australia, and who is excited for this opportunity.
“Their experience, combined with the younger players in the team, makes this an exciting squad, which is exactly what we need in a match that will essentially be the Castle Lager Rugby Championship decider.”
Erasmus added, “They may be out of the title race, but they have beaten the All Blacks, Wallabies, and British & Irish Lions this season, and it would be a big target for them to defeat us as well, so it’s going to be another hard grind.”
The match kicks off at 15h00 (SA time) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Springbok team to face Argentina in London:
15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 44 caps, 66 points (6t, 9c, 4p, 2 dg)
14 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) – 45 caps, 126 points (21t, 3c, 5p)
13 Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 19 caps, 40 pts (8t)
12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 92 caps, 55 points (11t)
11 Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 4 caps, 0 points
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 14 caps, 95 points (3t, 25c, 10p)
9 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 45 caps, 75 pts (15t)
8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 38 caps, 10 points (2t)
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 92 caps, 70 pts (14t)
6 Siya Kolisi (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 97 caps, 65 points (13t)
5 Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 12 caps, 0 pts
4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 137 caps, 35 points (7t)
3 Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 29 caps, 5 pts (1t)
2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 83 caps, 125 pts (25t)
1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 45 caps, 0 pts
Replacements:
16 Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 80 caps, 70 points (14t)
17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 8 caps, 10 pts (2t)
18 Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 23 caps, 0 pts
19 RG Snyman (Leinster) – 45 caps, 15 points (3t)
20 Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 58 caps, 55 points (11t)
21 Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 23 caps, 25 pts (5t)
22 Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners) – 23 caps, 133 pts (2t, 42c, 13p)
23 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 83 caps, 95 points (19t)
Stats and facts:
Springbok record against Argentina
Played 39; Won 34; Lost 4; Drawn 1; Points for: 1 382, Points against: 757; Tries scored 164, Tries conceded 73; Highest score 73-13; Biggest winning margin 60 points. Win % 87.1%.
Courtesy of SA Rugby.
