Rugby Championship: South Africa vs Argentina
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Six of the seven
Puma backs who started against the Wallabies have been dropped, providing a
golden opportunity for the newcomers to show they can do what the others
couldn’t.
South Africa looked set to win against Australia before losing momentum and
conceding a match-losing try off the last movement of the game, and then
appeared to have New Zealand beaten before allowing them to come from behind to
snatch victory. Was it a lack of match fitness, of composure, of experience, or
conceding reckless penalties, or a consequence of wrong options or momentary bad
defence?
The Boks need a
win to restore the players’ confidence in themselves and one another and in
their game-plan, and since there is no more demanding, less forgiving rugby
public than South Africa’s, they need to win to regain the enthusiastic support
of the passionate masses.
Los Pumas have never won a Test against the Springboks, with 18 defeats and a
draw, but with the Boks possibly vulnerable after losing their last three Tests
in a row – and in their two recent Tests failing to score a single point in the
last quarter while conceding 24 – Argentina must feel they have some chance of
victory this week and then a bigger chance at home next week of ending the
sequence of losses.
Key players:
For South Africa, Jean de Villiers as outside centre and captain, brilliant
young two-Test Bok Jesse Kriel, now on the right wing, Schalk Burger, again at
8 with Duane Vermeulen needing a near miraculous recovery to play in the World
Cup, and Handré Pollard, awarded yet another chance to “regain form” while
Patrick Lambie has been given no opportunity to stake a claim for the 10
jersey. For Los Pumas, El Mago (The Magician) Juan Martin Hernandez is back at 10,
replacing Nicolas Sanchez (whose off the ball shenanigans precipitated the
Michael Hooper hullabaloo), Tomas Cubelli at 9 (selected, surprisingly, ahead
of Martin Landajo), and an all-new loose trio in Pablo Matera, Juan Manuel
Leguizamon, and Leonardo Senatore.
The big
match-ups:
Hernandez vs Pollard at 10. On the wing, skillful rookie Kriel vs skillful, experienced
Juan Imhoff. In the scrums, potent 59-Test loosehead Marcos Ayerza vs potent
one-Test Bok tighthead Vincent Koch. And perhaps the two best hookers in world
rugby: Bismarck du Plessis vs Agustin Creevy.