Duane Vermeulen to lead South Africa against Argentina
Duane Vermeulen will captain South Africa against Argentina
©PA
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber has made nine changes to the side to take on Argentina in the third round of the Rugby Championship at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Duane Vermeulen will be leading the side and returns to back row that also has Pieter-Steph du Toit and Marco van Staden coming back. Eben Etzebeth starts in the second-row but Marvin Orie replaces Lood de Jager at second row.
The front row sees a change with Malcolm Marx replacing Bongi Mbonambi to be the preferred hooker while Manie Libbok has been handed the kicking responsibility with Grant Williams making his first start at scrum-half.
Cheslin Kolbe retains his place at right wing while Kurt-Lee Arendse starts at left with Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende forming the midfield partnership.
Trevor Nyakane is set to make his first appearance this year when he comes off the bench that also has RG Snyman, Bongi Mbonambi and Damian Willemse.
“This is a quality team that will offer us the skills we need against Argentina,” said Nienaber. “It also contains a good balance of experience and youth, which is vital as we build toward the World Cup.
“There are only four more matches before we kick off our Rugby World Cup campaign so it’s a fine balancing act to give all the players a chance to stake a claim for places while selecting teams that we believe are best equipped for the opposition we’ll face, and we’re pleased with the way we’ve managed that process up to now.
“Obviously the result in New Zealand was bitterly disappointing, but we came into the season with a plan that will hopefully allow us to select the best possible squad for the World Cup and peak at the right time.”
South Africa XV: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Duane Vermeulen (c), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Eben Etzebeth (c), 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Reserves: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Kwagga Smith, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Lukhanyo Am, 23 Damian Willemse
