South Africa have made two changes to the side that beat Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday, as they return home to face the same opposition in a match which could decide the destination of The Rugby Championship title.
The Springboks currently only trail the leading All-Blacks on points difference, with 13 separating the two teams in total after two 16-point wins in a row for South Africa.
New Zealand’s 50-point mauling of the Pumas is the key behind their total being so strong, and with consecutive defeats for Argentina effectively ending their title hopes too, South Africa will be confident they can chase down the points difference deficit.
It sets up a fascinating final round, where if New Zealand win, South Africa will likely have a target of precisely how many points they will need to win by to claim the title, much like the crescendo of a Six Nations Championship.
Pieter Steph du Toit returns to the starting line-up at flanker in place of Franco Mostert, who is benched, while veteran fly-half Frans Steyn gets the nod at 10 after an injury to Damian Willemse.
He is partnered in the half-backs by Jaden Hendrikse, who is again selected over Faf de Klerk for the nine shirt, as Siya Kolisi captains the side.
If successful in winning the title on Saturday, it will be only the second time in the last 13 years that South Africa have won the competition, the only other being in their World Cup-winning year of 2019.
Though victory alone may not be enough, head coach Jacques Nienaber is effectively viewing the match as a “final”, having viewed last week as a semi.
He was expecting a huge test from the Pumas, who have themselves had a very impressive tournament, but backed his players’ experience in the huge encounter.
“We viewed last week as a semi-final and this week as a final, but Argentina are a team that do not give an inch, and they never stop fighting as we saw last week,” said Nienaber.
“They defeated New Zealand away from home against the odds and they registered a convincing victory against Australia at home, so we know we are in for a massive battle.
“It is all or nothing for us this week, and we have a team with several players who have won the Rugby World Cup and the British & Irish Lions Series, so they know it will take nothing less than a quality 80-minute effort to win this match and the competition.”
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