Bok boss Rassie backs ‘bunch of World Cup winners and talented youngsters’ for Pumas Test
· Citizen
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is expecting a blockbuster encounter against Argentina when the two sides collide in a one-off Test at the Estadio José Amalfitani in Buenos Aires on Saturday night (9pm SA time).
Erasmus named his match 23 on Tuesday, featuring a host of returning stars from injury, and they will be looking for a good hit out ahead of the start of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks which gets under way later this month.
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But the Bok coach, and players, have been emphasising that their full focus is on Argentina, and that they have to be at their very best against the South Americans, or risk getting embarrassed by them.
“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,” said Erasmus.
“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.”
Returning players
The Springboks are welcoming back five key players who have yet to play any international rugby this season due to injuries, and they will be keen to hit the ground running, along with a further four players who picked up niggles during the Nations Championship Tests in July.
Captain Siya Kolisi, locks Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager and flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are all in the starting 15, while scrumhalf Morné van den Berg will play off the bench, in their first Test of the season.
Utility backs Ethan Hooker and Canan Moodie and hybrid star André Esterhuizen will all also start, while Handré Pollard will come off the bench, with all four recovering after featuring last against Scotland at Loftus Versfeld.
A number of fringe players will also get a chance to shine, such as Cameron Hanekom, Edwill van der Merwe, Zach Porthen and Cobus Wiese, who are part of an eight-strong group of players with under 10 caps in the match 23.
“This squad includes a bunch of Rugby World Cup winners and extremely talented young players who have been looking forward to playing again for a while, and others who have been working hard week in and week out to play more regularly,” explained Erasmus.
“They have all adapted very well to the time zone and showed true grit at training, so we have full faith that they will rise to the occasion.”
Argentina challenge
Focusing on the challenge that the hosts will bring to the party, with them featuring 10 uncapped players in their squad, some of whom could make their debut in the match, Erasmus said: “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.
“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.
“We’ve had to grind out results against them on several occasions in the past, so it will take a proper 80-minute effort this weekend, and we are looking forward to the challenge.”