The Springboks are bracing themselves for a tough battle against an Argentina side that will throw everything at them at Durban’s Kings Park on Saturday, coach Rassie Erasmus said.
Erasmus opted for consistency in selection for their penultimate Rugby Championship match, making minimal changes to the side that secured a record 43-10 victory against the All Blacks in Wellington less than two weeks ago.
He expects a monumental duel against the Pumas, who are on nine points and trail the top-placed Wallabies (11 points) on the 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 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 [with] the respect they deserve.
“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,” Erasmus said.
“Adding to that, they boast a strong pack and extremely talented backs, so they pose threats all round. We’ve had a good few training sessions since assembling in Durban 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.”
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 Eben Etzebeth and Damian Willemse taking over from the injured Lood de Jager and Aphelele Fassi.
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 features 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 Morné van den Berg takes over from Grant Williams, who is nursing a niggle.
“We were 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,” Erasmus said.
“The makeup of this team not only allows us consistency in selection, but we’ll also have the vast experience of Eben and 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 Morné.” SA Rugby
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