Springboks v Pumas 2 - 21 August
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Springboks bring back Lion tamers for Pumas test
South Africa have rung the changes for Saturday's second test against Argentina.
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Springbok team for Saturday:
Karl Dickson (England) will be the man handling the whistle, with South Africans Marius van der Westhuizen and AJ Jacobs performing the assistant referee duties, while Tom Foley (England) will serve as the TMO.
Springbok team to face Argentina at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium:
15 – Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz) – 65 caps, 60 pts (12t)
14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse) – 17 caps, 45 pts (9t)
13 – Lukhanyo Am (Cell C Sharks) – 18 caps, 20 pts (4t)
12 – Damian de Allende (Munster) – 50 caps, 30 pts (6t)
11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Cell C Sharks) – 17 caps, 75 pts (15t)
10 – Handré Pollard (vice-captain, Montpellier) – 52 caps, 502 pts (6t, 80c, 100p, 4d)
9 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 17 caps, 40pts (8t)
8 – Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers) – 4 caps, 0 pts
7 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 43 caps, 5pts (1t)
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Cell C Sharks) – 55 caps, 30 pts (6t)
5 – Lood de Jager (Sale Sharks) – 49 caps, 25 pts (5t)
4 – Marvin Orie (DHL Stormers) – 5 caps, 0 pts
3 – Thomas du Toit (Cell C Sharks, 12 caps, 0 pts)
2 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 38 caps, 30 pts (6t)
1 – Trevor Nyakane (Vodacom Bulls) – 47 caps, 5 pts (1t)
Replacements:
16 – Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers) – 40 caps, 40 pts (8t)
17 – Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers) – 51 caps, 5pts (1t)
18 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 42 caps, 5pts (1t)
19 – Nicolaas van Rensburg (Montpellier) – uncapped
20 – Kwagga Smith (Yamaha Júbilo) – 11 caps, 5 pts (1t)
21 – Dan du Preez (Sale Sharks) – 5 caps, 0 pts
22 – Jaden Hendrikse (Cell C Sharks) – 1 cap, 5 pts (1t)
23 – Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 11 caps, 5pts (1t)
Springbok record against Argentina:
Played 31; Won 27, Lost 3, Drawn 1; Points for 1090, Points against 606; Tries scored 128, Tries conceded 56; Highest score 73 pts, Biggest win 60 pts; Win %: 87%.
Milestones:
Cheslin Kolbe needs one more try to earn his 10th career try and 50 points in Test matches.
Lood de Jager will play in his 50th Test match for South Africa.
Marvin Orie will start in his first Test for the Springboks.
Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg is the only uncapped player in the match-day squad.
Miscellaneous:
The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is
There are 236 caps in the backline with 253 caps amongst the forwards. On the bench there are a further 161
The average caps per player in the backline are 33 the forwards 31 while the players on the bench average 20. -
Didn't realise that Mapimpi's strike rate was better than Kolbe.
Can't see anything but a hiding for Argentina.
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@mikethesnow Mapimpi is criminally under rated, conversely Kolbe is probably a little over rated (at least up north)
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@sidbarret what is this strange feeling? Don’t have much experience of it, so I’m not sure but can it be good coaching?
Rassienaber are the first post isolation coaches whose technical coaching is showing steady skill improvement on the field. Mapimpi is one example. His aerial work now is unrecognizable from his debut. Wiese has got steadily better every game in the jersey. That’s unprecedented. Even our best bok coaches didn’t noticeably improve their players skills. In fact, the handful of players I can think of whose skills developed after bok selection did it outside the bok environment. Monty worked on his place kicking in Wales, Duane added a turnover and passing game just to force his way into contention and Bismarck went supernova to displace Smit. And that’s about it.
There selections have largely been terrific. The only debatable area is loosies where they have ignored local players (like Roos, Louw and the Pumas’ Engelbrecht that all look handy) in favour of Wiese and the warmed up sack of rancid horse jizz masquerading as Elstadt. Given Rassie’s subtlety as a player it’s weird they’re preferring PEP stores’ knockoff versions of Ian MacDonald/Bartmann to okes whose ceiling looks to be somewhere between Andy Aitken to Teichmann. They also haven’t identified any real backups to the first choice centres. But that’s a talent pipeline problem - it’s a historic area of weakness. I can’t remember a time when we had more than two world class midfielders. We’ve often struggled to field even one.
Add a clear, effective gameplan, built on solid systems with the odd cunning targeted strategy (and a commitment to physies opvok) and I’m feeling disoriented by the unusual feeling that we have a management team at least the equal of any of our opponents.
Can’t imagine it will last…
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Great post, well said
@smuts said in Springboks v Pumas 2 - 21 August:
@sidbarret what is this strange feeling? Don’t have much experience of it, so I’m not sure but can it be good coaching?
Rassienaber are the first post isolation coaches whose technical coaching is showing steady skill improvement on the field. Mapimpi is one example. His aerial work now is unrecognizable from his debut. Wiese has got steadily better every game in the jersey. That’s unprecedented. Even our best bok coaches didn’t noticeably improve their players skills. In fact, the handful of players I can think of whose skills developed after bok selection did it outside the bok environment. Monty worked on his place kicking in Wales, Duane added a turnover and passing game just to force his way into contention and Bismarck went supernova to displace Smit. And that’s about it.
There selections have largely been terrific. The only debatable area is loosies where they have ignored local players (like Roos, Louw and the Pumas’ Engelbrecht that all look handy) in favour of Wiese and the warmed up sack of rancid horse jizz masquerading as Elstadt. Given Rassie’s subtlety as a player it’s weird they’re preferring PEP stores’ knockoff versions of Ian MacDonald/Bartmann to okes whose ceiling looks to be somewhere between Andy Aitken to Teichmann. They also haven’t identified any real backups to the first choice centres. But that’s a talent pipeline problem - it’s a historic area of weakness. I can’t remember a time when we had more than two world class midfielders. We’ve often struggled to field even one.
Add a clear, effective gameplan, built on solid systems with the odd cunning targeted strategy (and a commitment to physies opvok) and I’m feeling disoriented by the unusual feeling that we have a management team at least the equal of any of our opponents.
Can’t imagine it will last…
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@stargazer I actually had to go check the team sheet to see if Matera was on the field last week.
So to see him keep his place and Sanchez getting the boot is baffling. Didn’t seem like the problem was at pivot. In fact, I thought the Pumas’ backs did well off largely backfoot ball.
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Bit harsh that last penalty. Thought the chaser was in line with the kicker.
Argies already look a thousand times better than last weeks dross
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@bones how’s that breakdown penalty awarded to the Boks when the Bok hooker basically wrapped his arms around the ball carrier not allowing him to release the ball.
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@act-crusader said in Springboks v Pumas 2 - 21 August:
@bones how’s that breakdown penalty awarded to the Boks when the Bok hooker basically wrapped his arms around the ball carrier not allowing him to release the ball.
😂 The one with his feet about a metre behind his hips and his shoulders on the ball carrier with his arse in the air? Astonishing balance to be supporting his own weight eh!
That was swiftly followed by bok 9 kicking the ball out of puma 9s hands..."off the foot".
Who knew those gold watches were still so persuasive!
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