South Africa ring changes for Argentina clash
Wednesday 12 August 2015 11:31, UK
South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer has rung the changes for Saturday’s clash with Argentina following last weekend’s shock defeat to the Pumas.
Veteran lock Victor Matfield returns from injury and will captain a team showing eight changes, as Zane Kirchner, Pat Lambie, Marcel van der Merwe, Willem Alberts, Trevor Nyakane, Marcel van der Merwe and Adriaan Strauss all get their first starts of the season.
Saracens hooker Schalk Brits and Jan Serfontein are also included in the 23 for the match at Velez Sarsfield.
Kirchner is at full-back in place of the injured Willie le Roux, with Jesse Kriel moving off the wing into midfield for Jean de Villiers – who broke his jaw in the stunning 37-25 defeat in Durban – and Lwazi Mvovo is named on the right wing.
Blindside flanker Willem Alberts replaces the injured Marcell Coetzee in what will be his first Test in more than a year.
Meyer said: "It’s great to have Victor and Willem back from their injuries and we’re all looking forward to going to Buenos Aires and improve on our performance from last weekend.
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"A few more players in our enlarged squad will get opportunities this weekend and I’m excited to see what they can do in difficult circumstances, playing in front of a very noisy crowd against a strong side away from home.
"Willem is the last of the loose forwards in the group to get game-time but as we’ve missed big ball carriers upfront. We’d like to see what Pieter-Steph du Toit can do in that position.
"Our physicality was not what it should have been last week and we need to make a big step up in that department.
"We’re under no illusions how big the task is going to be over there but it’s a challenge we have to embrace and make the best out of."
Lood de Jager (pectoral muscle), Vincent Koch (knee) and Fourie du Preez have joined a long Springboks injury list which includes Francois Louw, Duane Vermeulen, Jannie du Plessis, Coenie Oosthuizen, JP Pietersen, Coetzee, De Villiers and Le Roux.
South Africa: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Lwazi Mvovo, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Ruan Pienaar; 1 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 7 Willem Alberts, 8 Schalk Burger
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 Jan Serfontein
