Springboks team: Rassie Erasmus rewards form but welcomes back quartet for Rugby Championship ‘Final’
Springboks Scrum-half Grant Williams and an inset of head coach Rassie Erasmus.
Rassie Erasmus has made just one change to his Springboks starting XV that defeated Argentina in Durban for this weekend’s rematch at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
The only change sees Ox Nche named as the starting loosehead prop, replacing Boan Venter, with the former again named in the run-on team following his late withdrawal last week.
However, Erasmus has made a further three changes to the bench with Grant Williams, Jesse Kriel and Bongi Mbonambi all returning.
That means that Venter drops out of the team along with Marco van Staden, Morne van den Berg and Andre Esterhuizen.
Starting XV
Nche is joined in the starting front-row by hooker Malcolm Marx and tighthead prop Thomas du Toit, the latter duo starting their fifth straight game together.
Eben Etzebeth and Ruan Nortje combine in the second-row once again, while captain Siya Kolisi is set to earn his 98th cap for the Springboks on Saturday from the side of the scrum and is joined in the back-row by Pieter-Steph du Toit and number eight Jasper Wiese.
In the backline, last week’s hat-trick hero Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is once again at fly-half and is partnered in the half-backs by Cobus Reinach. Ethan Hooker and Cheslin Kolbe retain their places on the wing, Damian de Allende and Canan Moodie in the midfield, and Damian Willemse at full-back.
There is a shake-up on the bench as Mbonambi will form a back-up front-row with props Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Wilco Louw, with RG Snyman covering lock and Kwagga Smith loose forward.
Erasmus has once again selected a 5-3 split on the bench as Williams provides an impact in the backline with Manie Libbok and Kriel.
“This match is a Final for us, and we know how dangerous Argentina can be, so we selected combinations we feel will be best suited for this game,” said Erasmus.
“There are minimal personnel changes, with the bulk of the team having done the job for us last week against the Pumas in Durban and our other Castle Lager Rugby Championship matches.
“Ox and Grant could have played last week if we really needed them, but Boan (Venter) and Morne (van den Berg) did really well, while Jesse was rotated in the last two matches and is raring to go. The same applies to Bongi, who last played against Australia, and who is excited for this opportunity.
“Their experience, combined with the younger players in the team, makes this an exciting squad, which is exactly what we need in a match that will essentially be the Castle Lager Rugby Championship decider.”
Fortunate position
South Africa will know precisely what is required of them prior to kick-off as Australia and New Zealand collide in the tournament’s penultimate match but regardless, a bonus point win is bound to be enough.
However, Erasmus expects a challenging battle against the Pumas and said: “Last week they were in the running to win the title, and they’ll be determined to make up for that result, so we are expecting them to throw everything at us on Saturday.
“They may be out of the title race, but they have beaten the All Blacks, Wallabies, and British & Irish Lions this season, and it would be a big target for them to defeat us as well, so it’s going to be another hard grind.
“They have a powerful pack and hard-running backs, and they showed in the first half last week that if they stick to their structures and play well, they are a huge threat.
“That said, the focus for us is on what we have to do to try to win the competition twice in a row for the first time, so the stakes are high for us, and we know what we are capable of if we remain within our structures and play for the full 80 minutes.”
He added: “We’ll be in the fortunate position to know exactly what we need to do in the match to win the competition before we take the field as Australia and New Zealand face one another before our match, but we still need to go out there and deliver against a quality outfit.”
Springboks team to face Argentina
Springboks: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Morne van den Berg, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Jesse Kriel
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick off: 14:00 (local), 15:00 (RSA), 2:00 (NZL, Sunday), 23:00 (AEST), 10:00 (ARG)
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)
Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (GRU), Christophe Ridley (RFU)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
FPRO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)
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