Five things to know about the Springbok team to face Argentina

The Springbok team to face Argentina in a Rugby Championship match at Ellis Park on Saturday (5.05pm) was named on Tuesday afternoon.

The side will be captained by Duane Vermeulen and shows nine changes from the team that lost to New Zealand in Auckland 10 days ago.

For the Boks to win the competition they will have to beat the Pumas with a bonus point and hope the All Blacks pick up no log points in their match against the Wallabies in Melbourne, also on Saturday.

Here are five things to know about the Bok team that will play on Saturday.

Cheslin Kolbe’s first Test at Ellis Park

The Springbok flyer has played 24 Tests and was part of the starting team that won the World Cup in Japan in 2019, but he has never played at Ellis Park for the Boks. Kolbe (29), who made his debut in 2018 and also played for the SA U20 team and the Blitzboks, will feature in his first Test at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Japanese link

There are a whopping seven players in the Boks’ matchday squad of 23 who play their rugby for clubs in Japan. They are Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Damian de Allende (Panasonic Wild Knights), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) and Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles).

Milestones for Etzebeth

Bok lock Eben Etzebeth has played in 19 Tests against the Pumas and on Saturday will become the first Springbok to play in 20 Test matches against Argentina. The man who captained the side against the All Blacks 10 days ago will also surpass former Springbok captain and hooker John Smit’s 111 Test caps on Saturday, making him the fourth most capped Springbok.

Selection highlights

Scrumhalf Grant Williams will make his first start for the Boks on Saturday after playing off the bench in his previous three Tests. Centre Jesse Kriel (59 Tests) and prop Trevor Nyakane (59 Tests) will both make their first Bok appearances of the season against the Pumas. No 8 Duane Vermeulen will captain the side in his 68th Test.

Record against the Pumas

The Boks and Pumas have clashed 34 times with the Boks winning 30 and losing three Tests. They have played to a draw on one occasion. The Boks have scored 1,193 points against Argentina and conceded 657, while they have scored 140 tries against the men from South America and let in 62. The highest winning score by the Boks was 73-13 (August 2013 at FNB Stadium).

Click here for news about the matchday-23 that will face Argentina on Saturday.