Salmaan Moerat (lock) leads a new-look team in a match which would see the Boks claim the Championship title for the first time since 2019, should they avoid defeat by the in-form Pumas.
The five players retaining their starting places from the team that defeated New Zealand in Cape Town 18-12, ten days ago are Ox Nche (prop), Ruan Nortje (lock), Jasper Wiese (No 8), Handre Pollard (flyhalf) and Jesse Kriel (centre).
Lukhanyo Am (centre) and Malcolm Marx (hooker) are moved from the bench to a starting position from that match-23, while Eben Etzebeth (lock) goes the other way to join the retained Bomb Squad of Vincent Koch, Gerhard Steenekamp (both props), Elrigh Louw, Kwagga Smith (both loose forwards) and Jaden Hendrikse (scrumhalf).
Jan-Hendrik Wessels (hooker) and Manie Libbok (utility back) come in to complete a bench once again consisting of six forwards and two backs.
Springbok team to face Argentina in Santiago del Estero:
15 – Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 7 caps, 15 points (3t)
14 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 20 caps, 85 points (17t)
13 – Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 75 caps, 80 points (16t)
12 – Lukhanyo Am (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 38 caps, 35 pts (7t)
11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 44 caps, 150 points (30t)
10 – Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers) – 75 caps, 739 points (7t, 100c, 163p, 5dg)
9 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 35 caps, 65 pts (13t)
8 – Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 29 caps, 5 points (1t)
7 – Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers) – 4 caps, 5 points (1t)
6 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 22 caps, 10 pts (2t)
5 – Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 4 caps, 0 points
4 – Salmaan Moerat (captain, DHL Stormers) – 9 caps, 0 points
3 – Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 20 caps, 0 pts
2 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 71 caps, 100 points (20t)
1 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 35 caps, 0 points
Replacements:
16 – Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 2 caps, 5 points (1t)
17 – Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 6 caps, 0 points
18 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 56 caps, 0 points
19 – Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 126 caps, 30 points (6t)
20 – Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 8 caps, 0 points
21 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 47 caps, 45 points (9t)
22 – Jaden Hendrikse (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 16 caps, 12 pts (2t, 1c)
23 – Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers) – 16 caps, 91 pts (1t, 28c, 10p)
Stats and facts:
Springbok record against Argentina:
Played 36; Won 32; Lost 3; Drawn 1; Points for: 1 239, Points against: 691; Tries scored 145, Tries conceded 65; Highest score 73-13; Biggest winning margin 60 points. Win % 88.9%.
Miscellaneous:
- A sixth consecutive victory would make this the Boks’ longest winning run in the competition’s history (including the Tri-Nations).
- South Africa have won nine of the last 10 meetings between the teams (last losing 32-19 in Mendoza in 2018) and have lost only twice in 16 meetings in total in Argentina.
- Handre Pollard needs four points to overtake Morne Steyn (742 points) and move into second place on the Springbok all-time scorers’ list. Percy Montgomery leads with 893 points.
- Malcolm Marx’s try against New Zealand in Cape Town saw him increase his tally to 20 Test tries, equalling tenth equal place on the all-time Springbok try-scoring list with James Small. He is already the leading Springbok forward try scorer.
- Eben Etzebeth will reach the significant milestone of equalling Victor Matfield’s record as the most capped Springbok player with 127 Tests if he takes the field.
- This will mark the first Test between the teams at Estadio Unico Madre Ciudades in Santiago del Estero.
- Los Pumas have won only one of the four Tests played between the teams in Argentina in the last 10 games, which was in Mendoza in 2018.
- The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 488.
- There are 294 caps in the backline, with 195 caps among the forwards. On the bench there are a further 277 caps.
- The average caps per player in the backline is 42, the forwards 24, while the players on the bench average 34.
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