The South African national team’s loosehead prop, Ox Nche, is slated to participate in the upcoming match against Argentina this Saturday. The game will be held at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium and will serve as the final contest in the Rugby Championship.
Nche, aged 30, represents the sole alteration to the starting lineup. The team is aiming to secure the Championship title. His return to the squad follows his withdrawal from the previous game against the Pumas in round five, a match which resulted in a 67-30 victory for South Africa.
Boan Venter, who had originally been named on the bench but started in Nche’s position, has been removed from the squad entirely. Jan-Hendrik Wessels will serve as the loosehead option on the bench. Bongi Mbonambi will take Marco van Staden’s place as the replacement hooker.
The final two changes affect the bench backs. Grant Williams has recovered from an injury, allowing him to replace scrum-half Morne van den Berg. Jesse Kriel will take over from Andre Esterhuizen.
Fixture
Rugby Championship
Argentina
South Africa
Given that this match follows Australia’s encounter with the All Blacks at Perth’s Optus Stadium, the South African team will be fully aware of what they need to achieve when they compete in London.
Currently holding a narrow one-point lead in the Championship, securing another bonus point victory against the Pumas would guarantee the Springboks consecutive titles, irrespective of the outcome of the earlier match. Even with a loss, South Africa could still claim the title, depending on the result of the match in Western Australia.
“We’ve made only a few adjustments to the team, as the majority of the players performed well in our previous match against the Pumas in Durban and in the other Castle Lager Rugby Championship games,” head coach Rassie Erasmus stated after announcing his squad.
“Ox and Grant were potentially available last week, but Boan [Venter] and Morne [van den Berg] played exceptionally well. Jesse has been rotated in the last two matches and is eager to participate. The same holds true for Bongi, who last played against Australia and is excited about this opportunity.
“Their experience, combined with the younger members of the team, creates a promising squad. This is precisely what we need for a match that will essentially determine the Castle Lager Rugby Championship outcome.”
Springboks XV
15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 44 caps, 66 points (6t, 9c, 4p, 2 dg)
14 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) – 45 caps, 126 points (21t, 3c, 5p)
13 Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 19 caps, 40 pts (8t)
12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 92 caps, 55 points (11t)
11 Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 4 caps, 0 points
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 14 caps, 95 points (3t, 25c, 10p)
9 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 45 caps, 75 pts (15t)
8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 38 caps, 10 points (2t)
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 92 caps, 70 pts (14t)
6 Siya Kolisi (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 97 caps, 65 points (13t)
5 Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 12 caps, 0 pts
4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 137 caps, 35 points (7t)
3 Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 29 caps, 5 pts (1t)
2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 83 caps, 125 pts (25t)
1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 45 caps, 0 pts
Replacements
16 Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 80 caps, 70 points (14t)
17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 8 caps, 10 pts (2t)
18 Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 23 caps, 0 pts
19 RG Snyman (Leinster) – 45 caps, 15 points (3t)
20 Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 58 caps, 55 points (11t)
21 Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 23 caps, 25 pts (5t)
22 Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners) – 23 caps, 133 pts (2t, 42c, 13p)
23 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 83 caps, 95 points (19t)
