Springboks travel to Salta seeking a bonus point win to secure the TRC title…the Pumas cannot win the title but need to show some form as RWC approaches.
The Pumas have been boosted by the return of former captain and hooker Agustin Creevy (pictured below), who starts their final TRC game against the Springboks. Creevy replaces Julian Montoya in the starting line-up after missing their recent defeat to Australia, as the Pumas look for a morale-boosting win at home.
For the Springboks the experienced Tendai Mtawarira, Bongi Mbonambi and Trevor Nyakane will pack down in the Springbok front row. The reshuffled front row is the only change to the starting fifteen from the one that held New Zealand to a thrilling 16-16 draw in Wellington in round 2. Duane Vermeulen will again lead the Springboks as captain.
Mtawarira, the most experienced Springbok prop in history, and Nyakane replace Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe, while Mbonambi takes over the hooker duties from Malcolm Marx.
National director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, described Saturday’s vital clash as another very important opportunity to build momentum towards the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
“The Pumas are a very difficult team to play at home and they will be fired up for this one in front of their passionate crowd in Salta. This Test is a good opportunity for Bongi and Trevor to start next to ‘Beast’, who has a wealth of experience from playing more than 100 Tests for the Springboks.
“We all know about the massively difficult forward threat of Argentina, however, they are a clever side with skill and pace out wide so we will have to be alert on defence right until the final whistle,” said Erasmus.
South Africa and Argentina have played three times before in Salta. The first Test, in 2014, was won 33-31 by the Springboks, while the Pumas won the second encounter at the Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena in 2016, also by two points (26-24).
The last encounter between the two countries in Salta was in 2017, when Eben Etzebeth’s team, playing in a special edition red jersey, triumphed by a winning margin of 18 points (41-23), which was also the Boks’ biggest Castle Lager Rugby Championship victory in Argentina.
Facts and Stats:
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- The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 555. There are 175 caps in the backline with 380 caps amongst the forwards. On the bench there are a further 275 caps.
- The average caps per player in the backline are 25, the forwards 48 while the players on the bench average 34.
- The average age of the starting fifteen is 28.
- Eben Etzebeth is the third most capped Springbok lock with his 77 Tests. Victor Matfield (127) and Bakkies Botha (85) are the most capped Springbok locks.
- Tendai Mtawarira is the most capped Springbok prop with his 109 Test matches.
Argentina: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Javier Ortega Desio, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Marcos Kremer, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Gonzalo Bertanou, 22 Benjamin Urdapilleta, 23 Joaquin Tuculet
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen (c), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Francois Louw, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Frans Steyn, 23 Jesse Kriel
Date: Saturday, August 10
Venue: Estadio Martearena, Salta
Kick-off: 16:40 local (20:40 BST, 19:40 GMT)
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley (England), Karl Dickson (England)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)
