Zane Kirchner
Victor Matfield will captain the Springboks against Los Pumas on Saturday, with Zane Kirchner, Lwazi Mvovo, Pat Lambie, Willem Alberts, Marcel van der Merwe, Adriaan Strauss and Trevor Nyakane all getting their 1st starts of the season.
Jan Serfontein and Schalk Brits have also been included in the match-23 for the 1st time this season.
A total of 28 players will travel to South America on Wednesday to play the Pumas at the Vélez Sarsfield on Saturday evening (SA Time). The match-23 shows numerous changes from the side that lost to Argentina last weekend, many of them injury-enforced.
Kirchner takes over at fullback from the injured Willie le Roux, Jesse Kriel moves from wing to centre for Jean de Villiers, with Lwazi Mvovo getting his 3rd run of the season, in the No 14-jersey. Willem Alberts replaces the injured Marcell Coetzee in what will be his 1st Test in more than a year.
“It’s great to have Victor and Willem back from their injuries and we’re all looking forward to going to Buenos Aires and improve on our performance from last weekend,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
“A few more players in our enlarged squad will get opportunities this weekend and I’m excited to see what they can do in difficult circumstances, playing in front of a very noisy crowd against a strong side, away from home.
“Willem is the last of the loose forwards in the group to get game-time but as we’ve missed big ball carriers upfront, we’d like to see what Pieter-Steph can do in that position. He played at blindside flank for the SA Under 20s in 2012 when they won the Junior World Championship and was 1 of their outstanding performers.
“With Willem and Victor both returning from injury, we needed enough cover on the bench – an experienced lock who can take over the calling of the line-outs and a very strong ball-carrier – which is why we went with Flip and Pieter-Steph.
“Our physicality was not what it should have been last week and we need to make a big step up in that department.
“I also thought the front row of Trevor, Adriaan and Marcel finished the match strongly in Durban so it made sense to retain them for this weekend, and Bismarck deserves a break after playing a lot of rugby in the last month.
“We’re under no illusions how big the task is going to be over there but it’s a challenge we have to embrace and make the best out of.”
Lood de Jager, Vincent Koch and Fourie du Preez were ruled out for this weekend.
De Jager injured a pectoral muscle at training on Tuesday afternoon, while Koch took a knock to his knee at the same training session. They will remain in Durban with the other injured players in the squad, Jannie du Plessis, Coenie Oosthuizen, Francois Louw, Marcell Coetzee, Duane Vermeulen, Jean de Villiers, JP Pietersen and Willie le Roux.
De Villiers, who fractured his jaw against the Pumas on Saturday, consulted with a specialist earlier in the week, who confirmed that he will be out of action for 4 to 6 weeks, during which time he can take part in limited training.
With De Villiers out, Matfield resumes the captaincy role.
“Obviously it’s not ideal that we’ve had to use 3 captains in our 5 matches this year, but it’s the hand we’ve been dealt and it’s good to have experienced leaders in our squad, as they play a very valuable role,” said Meyer.
Springboks: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Lwazi Mvovo, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damien de Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Schalk Burger, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield (Captain), 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Trevor Nyakane
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 Jan Serfontein.
Additional tour squad members: Bismarck du Plessis, Steven Kitshoff, Siya Kolisi, Elton Jantjies, Rudy Paige.
Date: Saturday 15 August
Venue: Vélez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
Kick-Off: 21:40 SA Time (16:40 ARG Time, 19:40 GMT)
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Romain Poite (France), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)
Stats and facts:
- The Springbok starting team boasts a total of 643 Test caps (285 in the backline and 358 in the forwards), while there are a further 159 caps worth of experience on the bench.
- South Africa and Argentina have played each other 20 times since 1993, with the Springboks winning 18, losing 1 and drawing 1. The Springboks have scored 753 points and 91 tries and conceded 398 points and 37 tries for an average score of 38 / 20.
- Bryan Habana will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok wing, with 108 caps in this position. If he scores a try he will extend his record of 58 Test tries for South Africa as well as most Test tries against Argentina (6). He will also play against Argentina for the 11th time, improving on his South African record.
- Victor Matfield will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok in history (122 Tests). He will also extend his record of 122 Tests as a lock and will captain the Springboks for the 22nd time, which will move him to equal 5th position with Dawie de Villiers on the all-time list behind John Smit (83), Gary Teichmann (36), Jean de Villiers (35) and Francois Pienaar (29).
- It will be Heyneke Meyer’s 41st Test in charge of the Springboks since he took over in 2012. Of the previous 40 Tests South Africa have won 26, lost 12 and drawn twice. He is 3rd on the all-time list of number of Tests as coach, behind Peter de Villiers (48) and Jake White (54).
- There are 4 sons of former Springboks in the team: Ruan Pienaar (father Gysie), Schalk Burger jnr (father Schalk snr), Flip van der Merwe jnr (father Flippie snr) and Cobus Reinach (father the late Jaco). There is 1 grandson of a former Springbok – Pieter-Steph du Toit is the grandson of Piet “Spiere” du Toit. Patrick Lambie is the grandson of a former England International, Nick Labuschagne.
- The referee is Glen Jackson of New Zealand. In his only previous Test the Springboks beat Scotland 55 / 6 in Port Elizaberth in June 2014.
Springbok Test match records at Vélez Sarsfield in Buenos Aires:
- Most points: 24 by Gaffie du Toit (2t, 4c, 2p) against Argentina on 4 December, 2004
- Most tries: 2 by Gaffie du Toit against Argentina on 4 December, 2004
- Most conversions: 4 by Gaffie du Toit against Argentina on 4 December, 2004
- Most penalty goals: 3 by Percy Montgomery against Argentina on 5 November, 2005
- Most drop goals: 1 by Bolla Conradie against Argentina on 5 November, 2005
Why do they keep on playing Pienaar?
Interesting to consider Pieter-Steph as a possible loose forward replacement… hope he is fast enough for a loosie berth… you have to be fast as a loosie, at least the pace of a good centre!
Maybe not a bad idea at all to play Pieter-Steph there!
Will be interesting to see what Zane could do from the back… he is a good defender (better defender than Willie le Roux), but when in SA lacked that attacking edge, something I believe he worked hard on at Leinster where he was a potent weapon recently.
I am very glad Damian de Allende & Jesse Kriel is back as a centre-pairing…. something we need to cultivate and seriously build on!
I am very hisitant about our halfbacks, might have been better to play Cobus Reinach next to Lambie for 80 minutes or to give Elton Jantjies a full go at flyhalf… to see if he could do well.
I would have had Steven Kitshoff as starting loosehead prop, with Beast Mtawarira on the bench as loosehead cover and with Trevor Nyakane backing up Marcel van der Merwe on the tighthead side… not Frans Malherbe as backup tighthead.
1 @ Wessel:
Eish, I have also asked that for years.
At least he was better and faster this season, in the Tests against the Wallabies and All Blacks.
Francois Hougaard played well last week for the Blue Bulls… and I think he is miles ahead of Rudy Paige and possibly also miles ahead of both Ruan Pienaar and Cobus Reinach. Cobus Reinach has been woeful in The Rugby Championship after returning from his Super Rugby injury.
@ grootblousmile: I am of similar sentiment GB. Not a big fan of RP. But he’s proved me wrong in one or two games recently. Just not the last one sadly.
and Hougaard is a natural rugby player. Just not the best 9. Doesn’t make him bad and I’d pick him in the squad any day of the week. But where? 14. 11. 9? where? 9 he’s slow and not a natural. Are we agreed?
5 @ Tassies:
Well, our scrummies are a problem, full stop!
Hougaard was fast and super crisp on the Weekend for the Blue Bulls… at scrumhalf!
I think dropping him from the Springbok squad was a great thing, made him work at it and re-assess his game.
Ons grootste probleem is op skrummie, Ruan is al beter, maar nog heeltemal te stadig en voorspelbaar.
Sou graag vir Hougaard of Faf op skrummie wou gesien het, met Jantjes op die bank.
Willie is nie die antwoord op heelagter nie, veral nie die noordelike halfrond nie, dalk as impakspeler.
Sal moet sien of Zane beter kan wees.
HM is soos ‘n kat of ‘n warm sinkplaat nou. Losvoorspelrs as ‘n groep steeds te lig in die broek vir die Argies. PSDT is te onervare en nie gewoont om flank te speel nie. Groot waagstuk. Het my bedenkinge oor daai plan. Waar was Jan Serfontein al die tyd? Ek dog Frans Steyn is ook op die boeke nou skielik is Zane skop en charge terug in die span. Om eerlik te wees ek kan nie sien hoe die span die Pumas in Buenos Aires gaan wen nie
Problems for me at 15, 10, 9, 8, 7, 5 and 20. Kirchner is steady under the high ball, but not much else, Lambie is a bit rusty, RP has had his 2 good games, Burger in my mind is not a natural 8, Vic will break down again, Alberts will also be rusty and PSDT has not played at 7 for a while. Unless the players really stand up and be counted, I don’t see a Bok win on Saturday.
I see Cosatu is claiming a victory as their “intervention” has lead to the immediate doubling of the number of black players in the starting line up. The Union further stated that it shows that SARU will not change out of their own and only pressure will bring a change.
@ robzim:
With HM “doubling of the number of black players in the starting line up”, I wonder if they will be the ones blamed if the Boks lose this weekend.
In any case, I think the Boks will take it this time around.
@ Nama:
If the Argies get their tails up early they could win on home ground passion alone, would the Bokke then drop to 6th?
When does the cricket start against the Black hats, is Faf still looking for revenge? 😆
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