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 17h10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Springbok team to face Argentina in Durban:
15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 43 caps, 66 points (6t, 9c, 4p, 2 dg)
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)
Stats and facts:
Springbok record against Argentina
Played 38; Won 33; Lost 4; Drawn 1; Points for: 1 315, Points against: 727; Tries scored 155, Tries conceded 70; Highest score 73-13; Biggest winning margin 60 points. Win % 86.8%.
Miscellaneous:
- The Springboks have won 10 of their last 12 matches against the Pumas dating back to 2018, with their only two defeats being in Argentina, in Santiago Del Estero (last season) and in Mendoza (in 2018).
- The teams have crossed paths in Durban three times, and it was in 2015 – the first time they played in KwaZulu-Natal – that the Pumas registered their first victory over the Boks (by 37-25), with the hosts winning the other two.
- Springbok flanker Siya Kolisi will play his 97th Test match, leaving him only three matches short of becoming the ninth Springbok centurion in the history of the game.
- Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok of all time to 137 Tests when he takes the field on Saturday.
- Four players in the Springbok team boast over 90 Test caps – Etzebeth (136), Kolisi (96), Pieter-Steph du Toit and Damian de Allende (both on 91 caps).
- The total Test caps in the Springbok starting line-up is 782. There are 256 caps in the backline, with 526 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 189 caps.
- The average caps per player in the backline is 37, the forwards 66, while the players on the bench average 24.
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