Test against Argentina: Four Bok players who need to impress

The Springboks take on Argentina in their Rugby Championship match-up in Santiago on Saturday night (kick-off 11pm SA time).

The title is on the line, with a win for the Boks sealing it with a game to spare, while a win for the hosts will take the competition down to the final match in Mbombela next weekend.

The Boks have once again rotated their squad significantly, making 10 changes to the starting XV that beat the All Blacks in their last game in Cape Town, which has given a number of fringe players a chance to impress. Here are four of them:

Manie Libbok

Springbok flyhalf Manie Libbok has almost become the forgotten man thanks to the stunning rise of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu this season.

After bursting onto the international scene in 2022, Libbok soon became the Boks first choice flyhalf, with Handre Pollard out injured, and even after the return of Pollard was considered his back-up heading into this season.

However he has played just two games for the Boks this campaign, 44 minutes in his only start against Portugal and off the bench against the Wallabies, with Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Pollard taking the Lions share of the rest.

Libbok now has a great chance to remind everyone of his talent off the bench this weekend, and if he can put in a top cameo he can try force himself into the frame to play again next weekend in the Boks final game in Mbombela.

Thomas du Toit

Bok prop Thomas du Toit gets a rare start against Argentina and it will be the perfect opportunity to prove that he should be the team’s main tighthead heading towards the 2027 World Cup.

Du Toit over the years has been well down the pecking order behind Frans Malherbe (33), Vincent Koch (34) and Trevor Nyakane (35).

But with all three towards the end of their international careers, they are unlikely to make it to the showpiece event in Australia, which opens the door firmly for Du Toit (29) to throw his hat in.

A huge performance against Los Pumas on Saturday would be a big statement and will go a long way to proving that he should be backed as the first choice tighthead leading to the next World Cup.

Marco van Staden

Flank Marco van Staden is in an interesting position in the Springbok setup and will need to show his value with a rare start against Argentina on Saturday.

Van Staden was an important part of the Boks World Cup winning squad last year, due to his versatility that helped him cover hooker, where they were very thin down the back end of the tournament.

But with the Boks shoring up their hooking stocks with some young talent this season, Van Staden is now solely a loose forward, which is an incredibly competitive department in South African rugby.

With some impressive young talent bubbling under, Van Staden will need to remind everyone of the talents he possesses, with him having yet to stand out in his few chances so far, so a big effort against Argentina is needed.

Jan-Hendrik Wessels

Utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been highly talked up by coach Rassie Erasmus this international season and gets another chance to show what he can do off the bench against Argentina.

Erasmus has constantly made mention of his versatility, able to play across the front row, and he has made two starts at loosehead prop so far this season.

However his main position for his franchise, the Bulls, is hooker and he will get an opportunity to impress there when he comes off the bench in the second half against Los Pumas.

Despite getting some chances he hasn’t massively impressed and he will be eager to prove that Erasmus’ faith in him isn’t unfounded with an action-packed performance against a tough Argentina pack on Saturday.