The 2022 Rugby Championship continues its penultimate round on Saturday as South Africa’s Springboks tackle Argentina.
It kicks off the final double-header of the adapted tournament, before the South Americans head to Africa next week.
Refereeing drama marred the end of Thursday’s rival clash between Australia and New Zealand, as the All Blacks were gifted victory thanks to a controversial late penalty that tipped the scales of an absorbing contest.
It means that Ian Foster’s side, despite all their travails, top the Rugby Championship standings with a game to play.
Argentina vs South Africa
Argentina and South Africa do battle in Buenos Aires on Saturday, as the 2022 Rugby Championship heads towards its climax.
A win for either side would put them right up at the top of the table with New Zealand going into the final round of this year’s competition next weekend.
Los Pumas will visit Durban for the second installment of their double-header, while the All Blacks host Australia at Eden Park.
That’s for then, but this is for now, with both sides locked on nine points apiece and a deadlock to be broken at the Estadio Libertadores de America.
The Springboks are unchanged from their victory over the Wallabies in Sydney two weeks ago, as they bounced back from defeat in Adelaide a week before.
It means another opportunity to impress for rookie wing Canan Moodie, with the spotlight also shining brightly on Damian Willemse at fly-half.
Andre Esterhuizen, Faf de Klerk and Elrigh Louw are all called up to the replacements’ bench, meanwhile, as Bok coach Jacques Nienaber resists any urge to meddle.
Home coach Michael Cheika has done quite the reverse following the 53-3 tonking suffered by his side last time out in New Zealand, taking some of the gloss off their famous win the previous weekend.
Eduardo Bello and Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro come in at either side of the front row, while there is also room in the pack for Matias Alemanno at lock and flanker Juan Martin Gonzalez.
Jeronimo De La Fuente is a welcome returnee after his recovery from injury, ahead of a battle that could put one of these sides in with a real shout of lifting the title a week from now.
Argentina Starting XV: 15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Emiliano Boffelli, 13 Jeronimo De La Fuente, 12 Matias Orlando, 11 Lucio Cinti, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Pablo Matera, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Eduardo Bello, 2 Julian Montoya (captain), 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro.
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Thomas Gallo, 18 Joel Sclavi, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Rodrigo Bruni, 21 Tomas Cubelli, 22 Benjamin Urdapilleta, 23 Matias Moroni.
South Africa Starting XV: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Franco Mostert, 6 Siyamthanda Kolisi (captain), 5 Lodewyk de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Retshegofaditswe Nche, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Elrigh Louw, 20 Albertus Smith, 21 Francois de Klerk, 22 Andre Esterhuizen, 23 Francois Steyn.
| Chance of winning (%) | Points margin | |
| Argentina | 15,1 | |
| South Africa | 84,3 | 11 |
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Antoinette is a recovering journalist. She has won multiple Sports Journalist of the Year awards and with bylines in The Guardian, Sports Illustrated, Daily Maverick and the New Statesman – among others. She thinks it is a bit odd writing about herself in the third person, unless she is playing as herself in The Sims. She hopes one day Ian Google will love her again.
