Rassie Erasmus has again opted for continuity in his Springbok team selection, with Ox Nche returning to the starting team, while Grant Williams, Jesse Kriel and Bongi Mbonambi have been named on the bench.
Nche was a late withdrawal last week in Durban after he pulled up with a niggle, but the loosehead prop is back and will pack down in the front row with Malcolm Marx and Thomas du Toit.
Meanwhile, the three new players on the replacements bench – which again feature a split of five forwards and three backs – are Williams at scrumhalf, Mbonambi at hooker, and Kriel as a utility back.
The rest of the squad remain unchanged, with Eben Etzebeth starting at lock alongside Ruan Nortje in what will mark his 138th Test, with captain Siya Kolisi, who will earn his 98th cap, partnering up with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese in the loose trio.
In the backline, Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are again the starting halfbacks, while Ethan Hooker and Cheslin Kolbe retain their places on the wing, Damian de Allende and Canan Moodie in the midfield, and Damian Willemse at fullback.
On the bench, Mbonambi will form a back-up front row with props Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Wilco Louw, with RG Snyman covering lock and Kwagga Smith loose forward. Williams will provide an impact in the backline with Manie Libbok and Kriel.
The match kicks off at 15:00 (SA time) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Springbok team to face Argentina in London:
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)
Stats and facts:
Springbok record against Argentina
Played 39; Won 34; Lost 4; Drawn 1; Points for: 1 382, Points against: 757; Tries scored 164, Tries conceded 73; Highest score 73-13; Biggest winning margin 60 points. Win % 87.1%.
Miscellaneous:
- The Springboks have won 11 of their last 13 matches against the Pumas, dating back to 2018, with their only two defeats being in Argentina, in Santiago Del Estero (last season) and in Mendoza (in 2018).
- The teams have crossed paths in London only once before, in the bronze final of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, with the Boks winning the match 24-13 at the Olympic Stadium.
- Siya Kolisi will play his 98th Test match, leaving him only two games short of becoming the ninth Springbok centurion in the history of the game.
- Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok of all time to 138 Tests when he takes the field on Saturday.
- Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Jesse Kriel have both scored 95 Test points and require only five to make it to 100 in the green and gold.
- The total Test caps in the Springbok starting line-up are 797. There are 264 caps in the backline, with 533 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 343 caps.
- The average caps per player in the backline is 38, the forwards 67, while the players on the bench average 43.
