Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus made four changes to the match 23 for Saturday’s Rugby Championship decider against the Pumas at the Twickenham in London.
The second Test against Argentina will see the return of Ox Nché to the starting XV, while Grant Williams, Jesse Kriel and Bongi Mbonambi are added to the bench.
Nché was a late withdrawal last week in Durban, where the Boks beat the Pumas 67-30, after he pulled up with a niggle, but the loosehead prop is back and will pack down in the front row with Malcolm Marx and Thomas du Toit.
The three new players on the bench, which again features a split of five forwards and three backs, are Williams at scrumhalf, Mbonambi at hooker and Kriel as a utility back.
The rest of the squad remain unchanged, with Eben Etzebeth starting at lock alongside Ruan Nortje in his 138th Test. Captain Siya Kolisi, who will earn his 98th cap, partners Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese in the loose trio.
In the backline, Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are again the starting halfbacks, while Ethan Hooker and Cheslin Kolbe retain their places on the wing, Damian de Allende and Canan Moodie in the midfield and Damian Willemse at fullback.
On the bench, Mbonambi will form a backup front row with props Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Wilco Louw, with RG Snyman covering lock and Kwagga Smith loose forward. Williams will have a positive effect 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 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.
“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 Rugby Championship decider.”
Erasmus expects a challenging battle against the Pumas.
“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 too, 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. We know what we are capable of if we remain within our structures and play for the full 80 minutes.”
The match kicks off at 3pm SA time.
SA squad: Damian Willemse, Cheslin Kolbe, Canan Moodie, Damian de Allende, Ethan Hooker, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach, Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (capt), Ruan Nortje, Eben Etzebeth, Thomas du Toit, Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche
Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Wilco Louw, RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith, Grant Williams, Manie Libbok, Jesse Kriel
SA Rugby media
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