The Springboks have named an unchanged starting side for their Rugby Championship Round Five clash with Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
Coach Jacques Nienaber has, however, made three changes on his replacements bench as Elrigh Louw, Faf de Klerk and Andre Esterhuizen get the nod.
That trio have replaced Duane Vermeulen, Cobus Reinach and Warrick Gelant as back-row, scrum-half and midfield options for the pivotal showdown.
Trio just behind All Blacks
With New Zealand leading the way in the Rugby Championship on 10 points and Australia, South Africa and Argentina just behind on nine, the race is on.
The Springboks enter the match on the back of an impressive win on the road in Australia and it is no surprise that Nienaber has kept faith with the XV.
“We were in a fortunate position this week not to have any injuries, which allowed us the luxury of selecting the same starting team that ran out in our last match, and we also feel that this team offers us what we need against a physical Argentina outfit,” he said.
“Our first victory in Australia since 2013 gave us a lot of confidence, and I have no doubt that will boost the players’ confidence going into this match, but that said we are expecting a bruising and intense battle against Argentina in front of a hostile crowd, and we have seen in the past how much confidence they draw from their fans at home.”
Commenting on his tweaks to the bench, Nienaber said: “Our plan from the outset was to give a few players a chance to prove what they can do and to build their Test experience, especially with the Rugby World Cup a year away, and there is no better opportunity to do so than in a match which essentially amounts to a semi-final for us if we want to win the tournament.
🇦🇷🤝🇿🇦 A passionate and welcoming Argentine crowd alongside the humble Siya Kolisi is a wholesome combination. pic.twitter.com/T5nOzgJHe8
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 12, 2022
“We have fantastic depth within our squad with younger and more experienced players, and it requires a fine balancing act to select a squad that we think will be the best team for each match, while at the same time giving most of the players an opportunity to play.”
Looking ahead to facing Los Pumas at José Amalfitani Stadium, Nienaber said they expect a hard grind against a side that has grown under Michael Cheika.
“It’s always tough to play in Argentina,” said Nienaber.
“They are a passionate rugby nation, and the Pumas will never give an inch. They also draw a lot of energy from their enthusiastic home crowd, so we are expecting a huge battle.
“They place a lot of emphasis on their physicality and their set-pieces, and they have skillful backs as well, so they will test us in all departments.
Freshened up squad
“That said, we have been working hard on the areas of our game that we would like to improve on and we were able to give the players a few days off to rest and freshen up mentally last week, which we believe will set us in good stead for the match.
“We know the magnitude of the challenge ahead and that it will take nothing less than our best efforts for the full 80 minutes to register a victory on Saturday.”
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Franco Mostert, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff
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Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Elrigh Louw, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Andre Esterhuizen, 23 Frans Steyn
Date: Saturday, September 17
Venue: José Amalfitani Stadium, Buenos Aires
Kick-off: 16:10 local (20:10 BST, 19:10 GMT)
Referee: James Doleman (NZR)
Assistant Referees: Damon Murphy (RA), Craig Evans (WRU)
TMO: Chris Hart (NZR)