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Argentina play host to South Africa in round five of the 2022 Rugby Championship. The match is the first between Los Pumas and South Africa of the year and the first in Argentina since 2019. Both teams enter having split their respective series 1-1 against both Australia and New Zealand.
The rivalry dates back to long before the first capped test match. The first test was in 1993, long after Argentina’s 1965 tour to South Africa and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and the Junior Springboks’ 1959 tour to Argentina.
Los Pumas officially have won three test matches against South Africa. All three were Rugby Championship matches, the first of which was in 2015. That took place in Durban while the subsequent wins were in Salta in 2016 and Mendoza in 2018. Julián Montoya is now looking for a win in his home town of Buenos Aires.
Montoya will lead with a changed prop combination. Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro replaces the young Buck, Thomas Gallo at loose head while Eduardo Bello earns his first test start at tight head. Tetaz Chaparro is Argentina’s most capped prop with 72 caps.
In the second-row size is again preferred to speed and lineout jumping. Matías Alemanno joins Tomás Lavanini with Guido Petti covering as the replacement. The back-row sees Juan Martin González back to start alongside veterans Pablo Matera and Marcos Kremer.
Gonzalo Bertranou returns to join Santiago Carreras in the halves. The latter was replaced early against New Zealand due to a minor injury. Jerónimo de la Fuente is also back. He will earn his 70th cap. He is one of four centers starting. Lucio Cinti will play wing and Juan Cruz Mallía fullback. de la Fuente and Matías orlando have switched from their customary positions of inside and outside center.
South Africa’s line-up is unchanged from the previous round of the Rugby Championship. The Springboks were 24-8 losers against the Wallabies two weeks ago in Australia. Siya Kolisi will lead-out an identical side from that match.
Kolisi is joined by giants Franco Mostert and Jasper Wiese in the back-row. Mostert is really a second-rower. His inclusion at flanker underlines the super size of the Springboks pack. His match-up opposite Marcos Kremer places two of the biggest men in a one-one-one match-up in the number 7 shirts.
Head Coach Jaques Nienaber has changed three replacement players. Faf de Klerk is back to be the understudy to Jaden Hendrikse at scrum-half while Elrigh Louw and Andre Esterhuizen will both have opportunities for the first time during the championship.
Saturday’s match will be the first of two between the teams. The teams will fly across the Atlantic Ocean for game two on the following Saturday. With the Rugby Championship wideopen both teams will be looking for the competition points on offer in Buenos Aires.
TEAMS
ARGENTINA
1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Julián Montoya (capt.), 3 Eduardo Bello, 4 Matías Alemanno, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 6 Juan Martín González, 7 Marcos Kremer, 8 Pablo Matera, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 10 Santiago Carreras, 11 Lucio Cinti, 12 Matías Orlando , 13 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 14 Emiliano Boffelli, 15 Juan Cruz Mallía
Replacements: 16 Agustín Creevy, 17 Thomas Gallo, 18 Joel Sclavi, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Rodrigo Bruni, 21 Tomás Cubelli, 22 Benjamín Urdapilleta, 23 Matías Moroni
SOUTH AFRICA
1 Steven Kitshoff, 2 Malcolm Marx, 3 Frans Malherbe, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Lood de Jager, 6 Siya Kolisi (capt.), 7 Franco Mostert, 8 Jasper Wiese, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 10 Damian Willemse, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 12 Damian de Allende, 13 Jesse Kriel, 14 Canan Moodie, 15 Willie Le Roux
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Elrigh Louw, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Andre Esterhuizen, 23 Frans Steyn
Date: Saturday, September 17
Kick-Off: 4:10pm (AR)
Venue: Estadio Libertadores de América (Buenos Aires, AR)
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Craig Evans (Wales); Damon Murphy (Australia)
TMO: Chris Hart (New Zealand)
HISTORICAL RESULTS
2021/08/21 South Africa 29, Argentina 10 (Port Elizabeth, ZA)
2021/08/14 South Africa 32, Argentina 12 (Port Elizabeth, ZA)
2019/08/17 South Africa 24, Argentina 18 (Pretoria, ZA)
2019/08/10 Argentina 13, South Africa 46 (Salta, AR)
2018/08/25 Argentina 32, South Africa 19 (Mendoza, AR)
2018/08/18 South Africa 34, Argentina 21 (Durban, ZA)
2017/08/26 Argentina 23, South Africa 41 (Salta, AR)
2017/08/19 South Africa 37, Argentina 15 (Port Elizabeth, AR)
2016/08/27 Argentina 26, South Africa 24 (Salta, AR)
2016/08/20 South Africa 30, Argentina 23 (Nelspruit, ZA)
2015/10/30 South Africa 24, Argentina 14 (London, UK)
2015/08/15 Argentina 12, South Africa 26 (Buenos Aires, AR)
2015/08/08 South Africa 25, Argentina 37 (Durban, ZA)
2014/08/23 Argentina 31, South Africa 33 (Salta, AR)
2014/08/16 South Africa 13, Argentina 06 (Pretoria, ZA)
2013/08/24 Argentina 17, South Africa 22 (Mendoza, AR)
2013/08/17 South Africa 73, Argentina 13 (Johannesburg, ZA)
2012/08/25 Argentina 16, South Africa 16 (Mendoza, AR)
2012/08/18 South Africa 27, Argentina 06 (Cape Town, ZA)
2008/08/09 South Africa 63, Argentina 09 (Johannesburg, ZA)
2007/10/14 South Africa 37, Argentina 13 (Paris, FR)
2005/11/05 Argentina 23, South Africa 34 (Buenos Aires, AR)
2004/12/04 Argentina 07, South Africa 39 (Buenos Aires, AR)
2003/06/28 South Africa 26, Argentina 25 (Port Elizabeth, ZA)
2002/06/29 South Africa 49, Argentina 29 (Springs, ZA)
2000/12/29 Argentina 33, South Afica 37 (Buenos Aires, AR)
1996/11/16 Argentina 21, South Africa 44 (Buenos Aires, AR)
1996/11/09 Argentina 15, South Africa 46 (Buenos Aires, AR)
1994/10/15 South Africa 46, Argentina 26 (Johannesburg, ZA)
1994/10/08 South Africa 42, Argentina 22 (Port Elizabeth, ZA)
1993/11/13 Argentina 23, South Africa 52 (Buenos Aires, AR)
1993/11/06 Argentina 26, South Africa 29 (Buenos Aires, AR)
OVERALL RESULTS
South Africa Wins 28
Argentina Wins 3
Draws 1
