South Africa v Argentina - Teams and Prediction
RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP, FINAL ROUND: Can South Africa bounce back for a widely predicted victory or will Los Pumas perform a miracle and get their hands on the Rugby Championship trophy for the first time ever?
Those are the two burning questions ahead of the big clash in Mbombela this weekend when South Africa faces Argentina in what is basically a final of the Championship.
Heading into this final round, these two teams have different permutations in order to clinch the title.
The tournament rules are clear on what the outcome may be, with Australia and New Zealand out of contention, these are the possibilities for Argentina and South Africa:
*If South Africa wins or earns a bonus point from the match it will take the title on competition points.
*If there is a draw South Africa will take the title on competition points.
*If Argentina wins with no bonus point, and South Africa does not get a bonus point, then South Africa will take the title on competition points.
*If Argentina wins by a bonus point and South Africa does not get a bonus point the teams will be equal on competition points on the table.
*According to the tournament rules for two teams tied on competition points – and with both teams having won four matches – Argentina will take the title based on two wins over South Africa.
The big talking point this week was around the selection of Manie Libbok at flyhalf after missing yet another vital kick last weekend, like he has done in the past.
However, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus remains resolute in his views of Libbok, saying that the No. 10’s talents are needed on the field, not his goal-kicking efforts.
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This leads to another open-ended question: Will Cheslin Kolbe, aided by Jaden Hendrikse, take charge and aim for the posts? Only time will tell.
What is set in stone however is that Eben Etzebeth is set to become the most capped Springbok of all time when he takes the field on Saturday for his 128th Test match and in doing so surpasses another Springbok lock, Victor Matfield on the all-time list.
Huge kudos to the big man who is described as the ultimate Springbok, always professional, and a well-deserved milestone in his long and illustrious career.
Erasmus made nine changes and one positional switch to the starting team from last week’s encounter.
He recalled six double World Cup winners to the starting XV in Bongi Mbonambi (hooker), Frans Malherbe (prop), Pieter-Steph du Toit (flank), Cheslin Kolbe (wing), Damian de Allende (centre), and Siya Kolisi (flank) who resumes as captain after watching from the coaches’ box in Argentina.
The Bok coach decided to stick with the same starting pack that defeated New Zealand 18-12 in Cape Town and the same five forward replacements while reverting to a five-three split in favour of the forwards on the bench.
The most capped centre pairing in Springbok history in De Allende and Jesse Kriel are reunited, with a back three of Aphelele Fassi (fullback) and wings Kurt-Lee Arendse and Kolbe.
“We know it’s not going to be easy because Argentina believes they have what it takes to win the title.
"They showed that anything is possible by defeating New Zealand at home and registering a record-breaking victory over Australia as well, so although we are close to claiming the title, we are taking nothing for granted,” said the Bok coach.
“The Pumas are a lot like South Africans.
“They come from a country where their players have also had to overcome great challenges to be where they are today.
"This is the first time in history they have a shot at winning the trophy, so they’ll come out guns blazing because they have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
“They showed the quality of rugby they can play all around last week, and they run hard, which is one of the reasons we opted for a five-three split for this game.
"So we are preparing for a proper final and we know it will take a massive 23-man effort for the full 80 minutes to win the trophy," Erasmus said.
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Surprisingly, and opting not to stick with a winning combination, Argentina’s coach Felipe Contepomi made seven changes to his starting XV that beat the Springboks 29-28 in Santiago del Estero last weekend.
In the pack, Tomas Lavanini comes in for Franco Molino with Pedro Rubiolo shifting to the No.4 lock.
In the back row, Juan Martin Gonzalez takes over the No.6 jersey from Pablo Matera, who drops down to the bench.
Santiago Grondona also gets a start this week as he replaces the injured Marcos Kremer.
In the backline, flyhalf Tomas Albornoz has a new halfback partner in the form of Gonzalo Garcia this week.
Matias Moroni will start at outside centre after playing off the bench in Santiago del Estero.
The other changes are in the back three with Rodrigo Isgro replacing Bautista Delguy on the wing and Santiago Carreras taking over the fullback responsibilities from Juan Cruz Mallia.
Los Pumas have been a breath of fresh air in the Rugby Championship this season, defeating all three Southern Hemisphere teams (Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa).
So many new names and styles they are adding to contribute to the conversation and the added twist to the usual expectations of results are a welcome surprise for many.
Contempomi explained the reasoning behind the changes he made for the ultimate showdown, and it came down to playing that was rested and fresh for the challenge ahead.
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“We tried to learn from last week, and that’s what we are focusing on - on improving what he did last week.
“So there’s a lot of recovery in this hybrid week where we only trained once on the pitch. But there was a lot of information and taking learnings from the previous week to have a good game on Saturday.
“It’s about trusting and trying to get the best combinations for each game. We thought with the travelling and we have some fresh legs coming over and some players who have been training really well throughout the last few weeks.
“And they can go and do a job for us.
“We also have players with experience coming off the bench so it’s a bit of a combination of trying to get people freshness and what we think are the best combinations for this game,” the coach explained.
Players to watch:
For South Africa: All eyes will be on Manie Libbok and what he brings to the table when he doesn’t have the pressure of the kicking duties hanging over his head. He can be a sniping runner who creates space for his outside backs. Also, how will the kicking duties affect Cheslin Kolbe’s game? Aphelele Fassie is in fine form and riding the wave at the moment, and Eben Etzebeth - the tower of strength should come through this milestone in his career with flying colours. The Bok scrum will once again be a key point in the game.
For Argentina: Tomas Albornoz was on fire last weekend, and another big performance is expected of the flyhalf. Los Pumas centre Santiago Chocobares is on par with the South African centres and the duel will be mouthwatering. Mateo Carreras at wing has been exceptional and should combine well with Rodrigo Isgro, who earns his first start this season.
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Prediction:
@ruby365com: South Africa by nine points
Teams:
South Africa: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Elrigh Louw, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 Lukhanyo Am.
Argentina: 15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo Garcia, 8 Joaquin Oviedo, 7 Santiago Grondona, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Pedro Rubiolo, 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julian Montoya (captain), 1 Thomas Gallo.
Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Ignacio Calles, 18 Pedro Delgado, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Pablo Matera, 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22 Lucio Cinti, 23 Juan Cruz Mallia.
Date: Saturday, September 28
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Kick-off: 17.00 (12.00 Argentina time; 15.00 GMT)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: James Doleman (New Zealand), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)