Advertisement

Moerat leads changed-up Boks against Pumas

rugby17 September 2024 14:00
By:Gavin Rich
Share
article image
Salmaan Moerat @ Gallo images

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has made 10 changes to the team that started against the All Blacks last time out for the penultimate Castle Lager Rugby Championship fixture against Argentina in Santiago on Saturday night.

Salmaan Moerat will resume the captaincy role that he assumed for the game against Australia in Perth but which was short lived due to the concussion he sustained in the first 20 minutes of that game.

Like was the case that day, Eben Etzebeth will be providing lock cover from the bench as Erasmus continues with the process of strengthening his depth in both playing and leadership personnel.

Among the changes are returns to the starting team for players such as Aphelele Fassi and Ben-Jason Dixon who did duty in the starting team for the first game against the All Blacks in Johannesburg three weeks ago.

Fassi is back for veteran Willie le Roux, while Dixon was always a racing certainty to play once Pieter-Steph du Toit, the first choice blindside flank, was rested from the tour party.

Regular captain Siya Kolisi was in the tour group announced last week but will not be on duty in the match day 23, meaning that Marco van Staden, who was in the match day squad initially at Emirates Airlines Park and then was withdrawn when Etzebeth made an unexpected recovery and was included on the bench, will wear the No 6 on Saturday.

Malcolm Marx, on the bench in both games against the All Blacks, is back as the starting hooker, with Bongi Mbonambi having been part of the group left behind to prepare for next weekā€™s final Championship fixture against the Pumas at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

Thomas du Toit, who started in the second game against Australia, replaces Frans Malherbe, who is also back in South Africa, at tighthead prop.

Ruan Nortje partners Moerat in the second row and is the only forward to have played the last three games consecutively.

Jan-Hendrik Wessels, at loosehead prop in Perth three games ago, is back in the group, but this time as the backup hooker as he looks to impress Erasmus in what he would consider his more regular position.

WELL-BALANCED TEAM

Among the outside backs Jesse Kriel at outside centre is the only starter this week who started in Cape Town, with Kurt-Lee Arendse returning from injury on the right wing and Makazole Mapimpi on the left.

Canan Moodie and Cheslin Kolbe did duty in the second game against the All Blacks at the DHL Stadium but are sitting this one out.

Lukhanyo Am is back in the inside centre position where he faced Australia in Perth.

The Sharks playersā€™ appearance in the No 12 position instead of the outside centre role he performed when he was one of the heroes of the 2019 World Cup win is becoming one of the interesting trends in Erasmusā€™ selections.

Another is Moerat's appearances as the alternate captain on the days Kolisi doesn't play.

Cobus Reinach was another member of the starting team in Johannesburg who is back, but this time he will have Handre Pollard as his halfback partner as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was one of the players rested from this tour.

As anticipated Feinberg-Mngomerzuluā€™s teammate at the Stormers, Manie Libbok, gets a chance to accumulate game time as the cover for Pollard from the bench.

Despite the high number of changes, which were telegraphed to some extent anyway when Erasmus made his squad announcement and left out seven regular frontline players, it looks a well-balanced and strong team that the coach would back to complete the job of closing out the Championship race by winning in Santiago.

With their vastly superior points differential, the Boks effectively need one more log point while limiting the Pumas to a maximum of four to ensure they clinch the Championship in its current guise (it was previously the Tri-Nations before Argentina was added) for the second time.

Springbok team: Aphelele Fassi, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Jasper Wiese, Ben-Jason Dixon, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje, Salmaan Moerat (captain), Thomas du Toit, Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche.

Replacements: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth, Elrigh Louw, Kwagga Smith, Jaden Hendrikse, Manie Libbok

Advertisement