The Springbok side for Saturday’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship opener against Argentina at Soccer City in Soweto shows four changes from the team which beat Samoa in June.
Two of the changes are in the starting XV, both of them in the forwards, and two on the bench for this Test, which forms part of the Nelson Mandela Sport & Culture Day activities.
Up front, Duane Vermeulen is back in action after an injury lay-off and takes over from the injured Pierre Spies at No.8. At lock, Juandré Kruger and Flip van der Merwe swap places, with the latter moving to the bench and the former starting next to Eben Etzebeth in the second row.
Vermeulen and Etzebeth will be joined in the Bok starting line-up by skipper Jean de Villiers, with a fourth DHL Western Province player, flanker Siya Kolisi, named on the bench for the Men in Green & Gold.
Of course, former DHL Stormers and WP wing Bryan Habana will win his 87th cap for his country, but he now plays his rugby for French Top 14 club, Toulon.
“Continuity has been key for us this year and that is why we’ve opted not to make too many changes to the team for Saturday’s Test against Argentina,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
“It’s great to have
Duane back at No.8, while Juandré has been doing great work in the line-outs all season long. To have someone of the calibre of Flip on the bench, next to the experience Fourie and Gurthrö bring to the team, is a great situation to be in.”
Looking ahead to the Test, Meyer said: “It’s a marvellous occasion and special to be part of a unique day where we can all celebrate the contributions former president Mandela made to South Africa.
“I think it was clear last year that the Argentineans are not in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship to make up the numbers, which means we will have to be focused on doing the little things right. They’ve been together for a few weeks now and will be a tough opponent on Saturday.
“We’ve now done the hard work on the training pitch and I can see the players are keen to get back onto the field for a Test. Now we need to put into practice what we’ve been working on and continue where we left off against Samoa, looking for try-scoring opportunities in the process.”
The Springbok team to face Argentina in Soweto is:
15. Willie le Roux (GWK Griquas – 3 caps)
14. Bjorn Basson (Vodacom Blue Bulls – 9)
13. JJ Engelbrecht (Vodacom Blue Bulls – 4)
12. Jean de Villiers (DHL Western Province – 87, captain)
11. Bryan Habana (Toulon, France – 86)
10. Morné Steyn (Stade Francais, France – 45)
9. Ruan Pienaar (Ulster, N. Ireland – 66)
8. Duane Vermeulen (DHL Western Province – 7)
7. Willem Alberts (The Sharks – 21)
6. Francois Louw (Bath, England – 19)
5. Juandré Kruger (Racing Metro, France – 11)
4. Eben Etzebeth (DHL Western Province – 14)
3. Jannie du Plessis (The Sharks – 45)
2. Adriaan Strauss (Toyota FS Cheetahs – 24)
1 Tendai Mtawarira (The Sharks – 44)
Replacements:
16. Bismarck du Plessis (The Sharks – 48)
17. Gurthrö Steenkamp (Toulouse, France – 40)
18. Coenie Oosthuizen (Toyota FS Cheetahs – 4)
19. Flip van der Merwe (Vodacom Blue Bulls – 26)
20. Siya Kolisi (DHL Western Province – 2)
21. Fourie du Preez (Suntory Sungoliath, Japan – 62)
22. Pat Lambie (The Sharks – 23)
23. Jan Serfontein (Vodacom Blue Bulls – 3)
