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Springbok team confirmed for Pumas showdown

By Online Editors
Tendai Mtawarira (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

The experienced Tendai Mtawarira (loosehead prop), Bongi Mbonambi (hooker) and Trevor Nyakane (tighthead prop) will pack down in the Springbok front row when South Africa face Argentina in the third and final Castle Lager Rugby Championship encounter in Salta on Saturday.

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The reshuffled front row are the only changes to the starting fifteen from the one that held holders New Zealand to a thrilling 16-16 draw in Wellington on 27 July. Duane Vermeulen will again lead the Springboks as captain for this decisive clash in the high altitude of Salta.

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.

All three front rankers who started the Test at the Westpac Stadium in the New Zealand capital are due to make an impact off the bench against the Pumas on Saturday.

The ‘Beast’, who is set to make his 110th appearance in the Green and Gold jersey, will join Rugby World Cup winner Bryan Habana on 53 appearances in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship to equal the Springbok record for number of caps in the southern hemisphere competition.

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South Africa can clinch the Castle Lager Rugby Championship for the first time since 2009 if they can manage to beat the difficult Pumas with a bonus point.

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.

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“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,” said Erasmus.

Regarding the tweaked front row, Erasmus said: “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.

The two teams are due to meet each other again next week again in Pretoria in what will be the Springboks’ final home Test before the announcement of the official Rugby World Cup squad on Monday, 26 August.

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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.

Overall, The Springboks have played 14 Test matches in Argentina against the Pumas, with 11 victories, two defeats and one draw, for a win percentage of 79%.

The Springbok team for Salta (in order of name, franchise or club, caps and points):

15. Willie le Roux (Wasps, England), 54 caps, 60 points (12 tries)

14. Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse, France), 8, 10 (2t)

13. Lukhanyo Am (Cell C Sharks), 7, 5 (1t)

12. Damian de Allende (DHL Stormers), 38, 20 (4t)

11. Makazole Mapimpi (Cell C Sharks), 6, 20 (4t)

10. Handré Pollard (Vodacom Bulls), 40, 350 (4t, 60c, 67p, 3d)

9. Faf de Klerk (Sale Sharks, England), 22, 15 (3t)

8. Duane Vermeulen (captain, Vodacom Bulls), 47, 15 (3t)

7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (DHL Stormers), 48, 20 (4t)

6. Kwagga Smith (Emirates Lions), 2, 0

5. Franco Mostert (Gloucester Rugby, England), 30, 5 (1t)

4. Eben Etzebeth (DHL Stormers), 77, 15 (3t)

3. Trevor Nyakane (Vodacom Bulls), 39, 5 (1t)

2. Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers), 28, 15 (3t)

1. Tendai Mtawarira (Cell C Sharks), 109, 10 (2t)

Replacements:

16. Malcolm Marx (Emirates Lions), 25, 20 (4t)

17. Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers), 38, 5 (1t)

18. Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers), 30, 0

19. RG Snyman (Vodacom Bulls), 13, 0

20. Francois Louw (Bath Rugby, England), 67, 45 (9t)

21. Herschel Jantjies (DHL Stormers), 2, 15 (3t)

22. Frans Steyn (Montpellier, France), 58, 132 (10t, 5c, 21p, 3d)

23. Jesse Kriel (Vodacom Bulls), 42, 60 (12t)

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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