Several key Springbok players will make their return from injury when South Africa takes on Argentina at Estadio José Amalfitani in Buenos Aires on Saturday, with coach Rassie Erasmus selecting a star-studded squad for the crucial Test match.
Captain Siya Kolisi will lead a side that includes the returning Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Morné van den Berg, all of whom have been sidelined with injuries. André Esterhuizen and Ethan Hooker, who picked up niggles during the Nations Championship last month, also make a welcome return.
The starting lineup shows 13 changes from the side that defeated Wales in the Boks’ last Test, with only seven players from that 43-0 victory in Durban retaining their places in the match-23. Of those, only Aphelele Fassi at fullback and Cobus Reinach at scrumhalf remain in the starting XV.
Fresh combinations up front
The pack has been completely overhauled, with Boan Venter and Thomas du Toit joining Johan Grobbelaar in the front row. Etzebeth will partner De Jager in the second row, while Kolisi forms part of a loose trio alongside Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom.
In the backline, Reinach and Feinberg-Mngomezulu will form the halfback pairing, with Esterhuizen partnering Canan Moodie in the midfield. Hooker, Edwill van der Merwe and Fassi make up an exciting back three.
For Etzebeth, the match will be a historic occasion as he extends his record as the most capped Springbok of all time to 142 Tests. The starting lineup boasts 541 caps, with 384 among the forwards and 157 in the backline.
Perfect test for returning players
Erasmus said the match provided an ideal opportunity for the injured players to regain match fitness against quality opposition.
“This match is the perfect occasion for players like Siya, Eben, Lood, Sacha, Morne and the other players returning from injury to get a tough Test under the belt and get back into full swing at international level, as Argentina are a formidable team, who will push us to the limit,” Erasmus said.
“The guys have been working very hard to return from injury and there is no better test to measure where they are than facing the Pumas in Argentina.”
The coach added that the other players in the squad had earned their selection and were eager to take the field.
“The other players in the squad also all deserve their places and have been waiting patiently as we tested combinations in the last few matches, and one can sense the excitement in the group to get back onto the field,” he said.
Pumas pose serious threat
Erasmus was quick to highlight the threat posed by the Argentineans, particularly on home soil where they have beaten South Africa twice before.
“The Argentineans are very similar to South Africans in many ways. Their passion and patriotism for their country and people, and the way they give everything on the field and keep fighting is a testament to the type of Test match we are expecting this weekend,” he said.
“They have beaten us twice in Argentina before and they delivered brave performances in their Nations Championship matches, and will have a point to prove on Saturday, so we are fully aware of the challenge ahead.”
The Springboks have won 12 of their last 14 matches against the Pumas dating back to 2018, with their only two defeats coming in Argentina – in Santiago Del Estero in 2024 and in Mendoza in 2018. However, the Boks remain unbeaten against Los Pumas in Buenos Aires since 1993.
Erasmus praised the quality of Felipe Contepomi’s side, warning that his team would need to be sharp from the start.
“They are a quality team with players who play in several different competitions and countries, and they are well coached under the guidance of Felipe Contepomi, so we have to be sharp from the outset, accurate in our execution, and convert the chances we create into points if we want to get the desired result,” he said.
“They have a strong forward pack and dangerous backs, and they will have a very passionate crowd behind them, so we will have to be at our best to win this match.”
The match kicks off at 21:00 South African time and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Springboks
15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 André Esterhuizen, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Boan Venter,
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp 18 Zachary Porthen (DHL Stormers) – 5 caps, 5 pts (1t) 19 Ben-Jason Dixon, 20 Cobus Wiese, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Morné van den Berg, 23 Handré Pollard
Argentina
15 Gerónimo Prisciantelli, 14 Rodrigo Isgró, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Faustino Sánchez Valarolo, 11 Ignacio Mendy, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Simón Benítez Cruz, 8 Joaquín Moro, 7 Benjamin Grondona, 6 Pablo Matera (captain), 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Francisco Moreno, 2 Ignacio Ruiz, 1 Boris Wenger.
Replacements: 16 Leonel Oviedo, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Tomás Rapetti, 19 Ephraim Elijah, 20 Juan Penoucos, 21 Juan Martín Scelzo, 22 Agustín Moyano, 23 Matías Moroni.
Springbok record against Argentina:
Played 40, won 35, lost four, drawn one. Points for: 1 411, points against: 784. Tries scored 167, tries conceded 76. Highest score 73-13. Biggest winning margin 60 points. Win percentage: 87,5%.
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