Full strength Boks looking for strong RWC finish
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer named his strongest possible team as a mark of the greatest respect to an outstanding Argentina team as both teams chase the end-of-season reward of a bronze medal at the Olympic Stadium in London on Friday evening.
Victor Matfield replaces Lood de Jager as one of only two changes to the starting line-up from Saturday’s semi-final against New Zealand. He takes over the over the captaincy from the injured Fourie du Preez, whose place in the No 9 jersey is taken by Ruan Pienaar with Rudy Paige coming on to the bench.
“This is a critical match for us and we owe it to ourselves and our supporters to end the season on a high note,” said Meyer.
“The Pumas have made massive strides in recent years and we’ve experienced first-hand how tough an opponent they can be. The players realise that they will have to lift themselves for one final push on Friday to ensure that South African rugby goes into the off season on a winning note.
“I considered fielding a much-changed team and weighed the pros and cons but ultimately decided the team that has grown together over the past few weeks was the one with the best chance of delivering victory for our supporters.”
Meyer said the playoff match for third place at the World Cup is not what the Springboks had hoped for, but that they will approach the final Test of 2015 as the final.
“The players have all spoken about the honour of wearing the Springbok jersey and this Test is no different – we will never settle for being second or third best,” he said.
“It is my task to get them in the right frame of mind after the disappointment of last weekend and to ensure we bounce back with a good win after a tough week. To lose a Test is never good enough but we’ve put last week behind us and our focus is now solely on Friday.
“Although our aim was always to win the competition, we have the opportunity to finish our campaign on a high and that is what we will be aiming for against a very good Argentinean side.
Pat Lambie will reach the special milestone of 50 Test caps for South Africa if he gets game-time off the bench.
The Springbok team to face Argentina in London is:
Position
Name
Franchise / Club
Test Caps
Test points
15
Willie le Roux
Toyota Cheetahs
33
45
14
JP Pietersen
Cell C Sharks
65
110
13
Jesse Kriel
Vodacom Bulls
10
15
12
Damian De Allende
DHL Stormers
12
5
11
Bryan Habana
Toulon
116
320
10
Handré Pollard
Vodacom Bulls
19
174
9
Ruan Pienaar
Ulster
87
135
8
Duane Vermeulen
DHL Stormers
34
10
7
Schalk Burger
DHL Stormers
85
80
6
Francois Louw
Bath
42
40
5
Victor Matfield (captain)
Vodacom Bulls
126
35
4
Eben Etzebeth
DHL Stormers
43
5
3
Frans Malherbe
DHL Stormers
11
0
2
Bismarck du Plessis
Cell C Sharks
78
55
1
Tendai Mtawarira
Cell C Sharks
74
10
Replacements:
16
Adriaan Strauss
Vodacom Bulls
53
30
17
Trevor Nyakane
Vodacom Bulls
22
5
18
Jannie du Plessis
Cell C Sharks
69
5
19
Lood de Jager
Toyota Cheetahs
18
20
20
Willem Alberts
Cell C Sharks
37
35
21
Rudy Paige
Vodacom Bulls
1
0
22
Pat Lambie
Cell C Sharks
49
134
23
Jan Serfontein
Vodacom Bulls
25
10
Twitter - @gazza_jenks/@ECRSportswave
Facebook - ECRSportswave