South Africa v Argentina - Teams and Prediction

PREVIEW: South Africa and Argentina are in a similar position of managing workloads and rotating their squads, but Saturday remains a crucial opportunity to build towards the season’s biggest Tests.

The Springboks arrive on the back of three convincing Nations Championship victories over England, Scotland and Wales, while the Pumas are preparing for one of their biggest challenges of the season against the reigning world champions at the José Amalfitani Stadium.

There is also an intriguing element of uncertainty surrounding both sides. Argentina have named four uncapped players in their matchday 23, while the Springboks have brought back several experienced players following injury lay-offs.

For Rassie Erasmus, the priority is therefore not simply putting another big number on the scoreboard. The Springbok coach wants to see his team reconnect, rebuild combinations and continue developing the game plan ahead of a much bigger stretch of the season.

“Obviously we want to be on the winning side on the scoreboard,” Erasmus said. “But I don’t think the margin of winning, if we do win, is the important thing.”

That is particularly relevant given the number of players returning to the side. Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager are all back after injury, while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu also returns following his ankle injury.

Erasmus knows the performance is unlikely to be perfect.

“A lot of these guys are coming back from injury, and then some are not really settled in the team, like Cameron and Elrigh and those kinds of guys,” he said.

“So, I guess the thing that will happen on Saturday won’t be perfect, but if we get better and we’re growing our game and we’re building our game plan and we’re getting more in sync and more in sync, hopefully then the score will go our way.”

Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been out for two months after surgery, while Kolisi and the two experienced locks are also using the match to regain valuable Test-match sharpness.

The Springboks’ starting XV reflects that balance between experience and experimentation.

Up front, Boan Venter, Johan Grobbelaar and Thomas du Toit will face an Argentine pack that has traditionally made scrum time and close-quarter combat a major part of its game. Behind them, Etzebeth and De Jager provide a wealth of experience in the second row.

Kolisi’s return is arguably the biggest headline. The double World Cup-winning captain has not played a Test for the Boks since 2025 and will lead a loose trio featuring Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom.

Cobus Reinach brings experience alongside Feinberg-Mngomezulu, while the backline contains considerable attacking potential through Canan Moodie, Edwill van der Merwe, Ethan Hooker and Aphelele Fassi.

Erasmus is also clear that the Boks are not simply looking for individual players to get through 80 minutes. The bigger objective is to ensure that the wider squad reaches a common standard.

“Apart from returning players from injury, getting some match fitness into some guys, then trying to win, I would say the only other thing that I can probably wish for is that we really grow our game and get a little bit better in each department,” he said.

That depth-building process has become increasingly important as South Africa look towards the Rugby World Cup cycle and the next phase of their season.

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An unpredictable Argentina

Argentina could provide a very different challenge to the one South Africa faced during the Nations Championship.

Felipe Contepomi has been forced to make changes, with four uncapped players included in the matchday 23. Francisco Moreno will make his Test debut at tight head prop, while Leonel Oviedo, Juan Penoucos and Juan Martín Scelzo are all in line to earn their first caps from the bench.

That lack of continuity makes the Pumas difficult to read.

The Springboks know exactly what Argentina traditionally bring to a Test in Buenos Aires: physicality, aggression, passion and an ability to turn the match into a battle in the final quarter.

But with so many new faces, there is a question over whether Contepomi’s side could also offer something different.

Erasmus admits the Boks know plenty about Argentina’s established players, but the newcomers make preparation more complicated.

“We know Argentina well. I mean, we play them twice every year, apart from this year. So, we know their players. They know us,” he said.

“There are 10 new guys that we don’t know in the team. We don’t know what the team will look like.”

South Africa played three Tests in their Nations Championship campaign, while Argentina have had a very similar schedule, and both nations have had to deal with player availability and injuries.

Erasmus believes the Boks are not alone in managing their resources.

“Last year in the second game, we won by two points,” he said, referring to the narrow encounter between the teams.

“I think Argentina’s got like 15 players out and we’ve got about 15 players out. And so we are going the route by rotating and keeping us fresh.”

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The Springboks want to win, but they also want Feinberg-Mngomezulu to regain his rhythm, Kolisi and the returning forwards to build match fitness, combinations to develop and younger players such as Hanekom and Louw to become increasingly comfortable in the system.

“I think us and Argentina are more or less in the same boat,” Erasmus said. “If you don’t rotate like Felipe is doing this weekend and we are doing this weekend, then the players will definitely burn out.”

Argentina will be desperate to make home advantage count and remind the world champions just how difficult they can be on home soil.

Players to Watch

For South Africa: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is back from injury and is eager to get back into the swing of things. Speaking to reporters this week, the No.10 said he is keen to slot seamlessly back into the world champions’ system and help the team continue the momentum built during his absence when he runs on in his 20th Test match on Saturday. Also back under the spotlight are Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth and inspirational captain Siya Kolisi.

For Argentina: In the absence of Julián Montoya, Pablo Matera will wear the captain’s armband, and as the most experienced player in the side (124 caps), his leadership will be crucial. Another setback for the South Americans is that Tomas Albornoz will miss the clash after receiving a four-match ban. In his place is Santiago Carreras, an experienced No.10 in his own right; however, he will be under the spotlight. And then the four uncapped players will be under immense pressure to perform.

*See the teams and prediction below!

Prediction:

Rugby365: South Africa by 15 points

Teams:

Argentina: 15 Geronimo Prisciantelli, 14 Rodrigo Isgró, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Faustino Sánchez Valarolo, 11 Ignacio Mendy, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Simón Benítez Cruz, 8 Joaquín Moro, 7 Benjamín Grondona, 6 Pablo Matera (captain), 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Francisco Moreno, 2 Ignacio Ruiz, 1 Boris Wenger.
Replacements: 16 Leonel Oviedo, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Tomás Rapetti, 19 Efraín Elías, 20 Juan Penoucos, 21 Juan Martín Scelzo, 22 Agustín Moyano, 23 Matías Moroni.

South Africa: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Boan Venter.
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Ben-Jason Dixon, 20 Cobus Wiese, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Handre Pollard.

Date: Saturday, August 8
Venue: Estadio José Amalfitani, Buenos Aires
Kick-off: 16.00 ART (21.00 SAST; 19.00 GMT)
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant referees: Luc Ramos (France), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)