Rugby Championship: The defense begins
The Pumas will have it all to do, as they will be looking to prove their recent run of form was in no way a fluke
With the British & Irish Lions disbanded and sent home after a nail biting series that saw the Springboks win the last two games, focus for Jaques Nienabar and his men will now shift to the defense of their Rugby Championship title on Saturday in Gqeberha at the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium against Argentina.
17:05 will be the official time for kickoff in the windy city as the ever hungry and resilient Los Pumas will be out to make a statement against the world champions, in their first encounter since 2019.
A series of friendlies played in July against Romania and two against Wales proved that the South American team is only getting better after beating the Romanians 24-17, which was followed by a nail biting 20-20 draw, and concluded with a comfortable 33-11 victory over the Welsh in Cardiff.
Argentine hooker Julian Montoya will captain the Pumas in a matchday 23 that will include stalwarts Pablo Matera, Facundo Isa and flyhalf Nicolas
Sanchez. Matias Orlando, Tomas Cubelli, Juan Imhoff and Santiago Cordero were a few key names that were missing from the team that conquered the All Blacks 25-15 in their first game of the Tri-Nations Series last year, in a tournament that excluded the Boks.
Joseph Dweba will don the number 2 jersey for the men in green and gold, which will see him earn his very first cap for South Africa, in a restructured team, that see’s many key players rested after the lions series.
Captain Siya Kolisi, and the lock pairing of Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager, Jasper Wiese (No 8) and Cobus Reinach (scrumhalf) were the only player to retain their starting positions following last weeks incoming series conclusion fixture.
Frans Steyn and Jesse Kriel will form the midfield paring in place of the talismanic duo of Am and de Allende, while Elton Jantjies slots in at 10.
The Pumas will have it all to do, as they will be looking to prove their recent run of form was in no way a fluke.
However they will be facing a somewhat rejuvenated Springbok side, with many hungry players ready to take the field after their exclusion from the recent incoming series.
SPRINGBOKS TEAM VS ARGENTINA:
15 Damian Willemse,
14 Sbu Nkosi,
13 Jesse Kriel,
12 Frans Steyn,
11 Aphelele Fassi,
10 Elton Jantjies,
9 Cobus Reinach;
8 Jasper Wiese,
7 Kwagga Smith,
6 Siya Kolisi,
5 Lood de Jager,
4 Eben Etzebeth,
3 Wilco Louw,
2 Joseph Dweba,
1 Ox Nché.
REPLACEMENTS
16 Malcolm Marx,
17 Trevor Nyakane,
18 Vincent Koch,
19 Marvin Orie,
20 Marco van Staden,
21 Dan du Preez,
22 Herschel Jantjies,
23 Morné Steyn.
ARGENTINA TEAM VS SPRINGBOKS
15 Santiago Carreras,
14 Bautista Delguy,
13 Santiago Chocobares,
12 Jeronimo de la Fuente,
11 Matias Moroni,
10 Nicolas Sanchez,
9 Felipe Ezcurra,
8 Rodrigo Bruni,
7 Facundo Isa,
6 Pablo Matera,
5 Marcos Kremer,
4 Guido Petti,
3 Francisco Gomez Kodela,
2 Julian Montoya (captain),
1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
REPLACEMENTS:
16 Facundo Bosch,
17 Carlos Muzzio,
18 Santiago Medrano,
19 Tomas Lavanini,
20 Matias Alemanno,
21 Gonzalo Bertranou,
22 Domingo Miotti,
23 Sebastian Cancelliere
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