Argentina v Springboks preview: Boks to go to the ‘gutters’ and emerge Rugby Championship victors in a thumping win
Our Rugby Championship preview for the clash between Argentina and South Africa.
The Springboks head to Santiago with one goal in mind: winning the 2024 Rugby Championship and a victory over Argentina will do just that.
Rassie Erasmus’ charges have gone four from four so far in the tournament but face an unpredictable Los Pumas team that has beaten and lost to the All Blacks and Australia so far this campaign.
In fact, Argentina have never beaten all three opponents in the same tournament before and will not only use that as motivation but mathematically, they are still in the running for the title.
This all makes for another enticing battle between the two mighty rugby nations with a hostile crowd set to only add to what promises to be an epic occasion.
As he has done repeatedly this campaign, Erasmus has made wholesale changes to his starting with just five Springboks starting this Test match from the one that defeated the All Blacks in Cape Town.
Meanwhile, Los Pumas head coach Felipe Contepomi has kept changes to a minimum after thrashing Australia 67-27 last time out and has simply freshened up his pack for what lies ahead.
Matches between these two nations are usually feisty affairs and we expect no different; even in the blistering heat which is expected to reach over 35 degrees.
Where the game will be won
We sound like a broken record but any team that fronts up against the Springboks needs to be competent at the set-piece or they face the prospect of an incredibly long day at the office.
Argentina have the ability to match and battle the Boks at lineout time with jumpers across their back-five but it is the scrum that may well be keeping Contepomi awake at night.
Thomas Gallo is a fantastic athlete around the park but he has struggled in the scrums this Rugby Championship as he was manhandled by the All Blacks at Eden Park. He held his own at times against the Wallabies but Taniela Tupou clearly got one over him but the Boks are a different challenge with the likes of Thomas du Toit and Vincent Koch locking down the tighthead prop roles.
To make matters worse for Los Pumas, one replacement tighthead Pedro Delgado is set to make his Test debut while loosehead reserve Ignacio Calles has just three caps to his name.
If the Springboks are able to win penalties consistently, it is bound to be a long, long game for Argentina who must secretly be hoping for a repeat of Wellington where there were no scrums for over an hour.
Outside of the set-pieces, the battle lines will be drawn at the breakdown where the All Blacks managed to get the edge over the Springboks. With the likes of Julian Montoya, Pablo Matera and Marcos Kremer in their ranks, the Pumas have a massive opportunity to lay down a marker and get the upper hand over South Africa.
Last time they met in the Rugby Championship
What they said
Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus has praised the early work of Felipe Contepomi as he believes the Pumas are getting back to playing like the Argentina teams of old. Despite making so many alternations to his team, the Bok boss added that he is not taking Argentina lightly having seen what happened to the All Blacks and Australia.
“They don’t have a competition where their franchises play, but then their coach Felipe Contepomi brings them together and they go and beat New Zealand in New Zealand and they smash Australia,” he said.
“That just shows you there is massive character (in that side) … they can go to the gutters and find a way (to win). They can’t just take the easy route … they always have to make a plan.”
Meanwhile, Bok prop Ox Nche is expecting the unexpected from a tricky Los Pumas pack.
“The theme for us when it comes to their set pieces is to expect the unexpected,” said Nche.
“They have certainly grown in their forward play, and they are trying new things in the lineouts, where they can play at the front and back, and they maul as well, so they are a well-rounded team. We know it’s going to be a massive challenge.”
Lock Ruan Nortje added: “They are similar to the Springboks as they also pride themselves on their physicality, so we know they are not going to shy away from that in the game.
“But we prepared well this week, and we are excited about the challenge.”
Argentina prop Pedro Delgado is excited to make his Test debut for the Pumas and says that the squad have put in the hard yards to prepare for the world champions.
“I am very happy to be at Los Pumas,” he said.
“The truth is that I have adapted well to the squad, they welcomed me very well and it would be a dream to be able to play. I think the team is doing very well, we trained very well during the week and we are very focused on what we have to do.
“South Africa are the two-time world champion, they have a very strong pack of forwards but we are focused on ourselves, training hard during the week and focused on being able to play a good match.”
Argentina team v Springboks: Felipe Contepomi makes bold back-row call while rookie prop debuts
Players to watch
The big talking point from Contepomi’s team announcement was the elevation of Joaquin Oviedo to the starting XV. The livewire back-rower ran in a quick-fire second-half brace against the Wallabies last time out and has done enough to replace the brilliant Juan Martin Gonzalez in the starting lineup – a richly deserved selection. The number eight is a real handful for defences as he not only has the ability to power through tackles but the pace to run away from backs too. The Springboks will be eager not to give him any opportunities.
Another player who is enjoying a breakout Rugby Championship campaign is fly-half Tomas Albornoz who was simply sensational off the bench against Australia in round three, earning a start in round two and producing an absolute blinder of a performance akin to those Juan Martin Hernandez produced for the men in blue and white hoops. Albornoz retains the starting jersey masterminding Australia’s demise and the Springboks will be wary of his brilliance.
While the Springboks have Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, Argentina have a pocket rocket of their own in the form of Mateo Carreras. The speedster is constantly looking for extra work and has been hugely effective for Argentina gaining 302 metres with ball in hand, beating 12 defenders and has scored two tries this Rugby Championship. Like his Bok counterparts, he is deceptively strong, a lethal finisher and adept under the high ball – a piece of advice for the defence do not give him an inch of space.
After a superb season with Bath, Thomas du Toit hasn’t been able to get regular minutes in the Springboks squad due to the incredible depth on both sides of the scrum but on Saturday, he gets his shot to dominate. The powerhouse prop has impressed when given the chance for the Boks this year and will be licking his lips at the prospect of packing down across from Gallo.
After a self-confessed off day at the office against the All Blacks at Ellis Park, Ben-Jason Dixon has been recalled to the starting XV and tasked with producing another Pieter-Steph du Toit-esque performance. The workhorse back-rower has been tipped by Erasmus and his coaching staff for a long career in the Green and Gold jersey and has already shown real promise early in his international career. He has a daunting task against the likes of Matera and Kremer but this is an ideal time to show what he is made of.
After a two-year exile from the squad, Aphelele Fassi has returned with a mighty bang impressing for the Boks against Australia and the All Blacks. The speedy fullback gets another opportunity to stretch his legs from the number 15 jersey and don’t be shocked to see him scything through the Pumas defence on the counterattack. Much has been made of his defensive attributes but he has greatly improved in that area of his game and will be keen to show that once again.
Main head-to-head
There are so many routes to go down with both benches shining in their last matches while the battle of the inexperienced second rows is also tantalising as is the midfield battles. However, we could not ignore the prospect of Pablo Matera and Marco van Staden going toe-to-toe.
Van Staden was rather unfortunate not to feature at all against New Zealand but showed what he is capable of with two standout showings against the Wallabies. He finally gets his shot and will be crucial for the Springboks in their attempt to improve their breakdown struggles.
Argentina have the best ruck success in the Rugby Championship and that is mostly down to the brilliance of the back-five, led by star flanker Matera. He is not only dynamite over the ball but insanely strong on defence and in the carry.
Momentum will be crucial in this Test and the two flankers are masters at stopping and creating momentum for their side whether it be at the breakdown or open play.
Prediction
South Africa are chasing a record sixth successive win in the Rugby Championship and have won nine of their last ten matches in all competitions. They have also won their last eight on the bounce against Argentina doing so by an average margin of 15.4 points. There is a growing trend of Los Pumas producing polarising performances from week to week but one has to feel that even if the better Argentina pitches up, the Springboks will be just too strong. Erasmus has named a team that still contains many World Cup winners and winning is a habit and Boks are revelling in that and should continue to do so even if Argentina take them to the gutters with South Africa clinching the Rugby Championship title with a win of 15 points or more.
Previous results
2023: South Africa won 13-24 in Buenos Aires
2023: South Africa won 22-21 in Johannesburg
2022: South Africa won 38-21 in Durban
2022: South Africa won 36-20 in Buenos Aires
2021: South Africa won 29-10 in Gqeberha
2021: South Africa won 32-12 in Gqeberha
2019: South Africa won 24-18 in Pretoria
2019: South Africa won 46-13 in Salta
2018: Argentina won 32-19 in Mendoza
2018: South Africa won 34-21 in Durban
The teams
Argentina: 15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Joaquin Oviedo, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Ignacio Calles, 18 Pedro Delgado, 19 Gudio Petti, 20 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 21 Gonzalo Garcia, 22 Santiago Carreras, 23 Matias Moroni
South Africa: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Lukhanyo Am, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Salmaan Moerat (c), 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Jaden Hendrikse, 23 Manie Libbok
Date: Saturday, 21 September
Venue: Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades, Santiago
Local kick-off: 18:00
GMT kick-off: 21:00
NZL kick-off: 9:00 (Sunday, 22 September)
AUS (AEST) kick-off: 23:00
RSA kick-off: 23:00
ARG kick-off: 18:00
Referee: Christophe Ridley (RFU)
Assistant Referees: Matt Carley (RFU), Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
