Nienaber make wholesale changes to Springboks for Argentina after Lions victory

Bordeaux-Bègles hooker Joseph Dweba is set to make his South Africa debut this Saturday against Argentina in the Rugby Championship as head coach Jacques Nienaber has made ten changes to the starting XV that triumphed over the British & Irish Lions last weekend.

The 25-year-old Dweba started for South Africa A against the Lions in July, but is set to make his full debut this Saturday at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Jasper Wiese and Cobus Reinach are the five that have been retained from the XV that beat the Lions in Cape Town to secure the series victory, as Nienaber has also reverted back to a 6-2 split on the bench.

“It is a long season, so it’s important that we manage the players well and rotate our squad to ensure that everyone gets sufficient game time and rest,” said Nienaber.

“We have a talented squad, and we are excited to see some of the players get a chance to show what they can do against a tough Argentinean outfit.

“Most of the players in this matchday squad have been with us since our conditioning camp in Bloemfontein in June, and they’ve been working hard at training and deserve this opportunity to take the field.

“This is a big game for us, and we are looking forward to seeing what these player combinations will deliver as we begin our Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign.”

“Argentina are very physical, so we need to stand up to that challenge in every contest.

“Their forward pack is renowned for making their presence felt, so our set pieces need to be spot-on and it will be important to dominate at the contact points.

“All-in-all we need to deliver an accurate performance all around and it is vital that we capitalise on the opportunities we have to score points.”

South Africa team to face Argentina in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship:

15 – Damian Willemse

14 – Sbu Nkosi

13 – Jesse Kriel

12 – Frans Steyn

11 – Aphelele Fassi

10 – Elton Jantjies (vice-captain)

9 – Cobus Reinach

8 – Jasper Wiese

7 – Kwagga Smith

6 – Siya Kolisi (captain)

5 – Lood de Jager

4 – Eben Etzebeth

3 – Wilco Louw

2 – Joseph Dweba

1 – Ox Nché

Replacements:

16 – Malcolm Marx

17 – Trevor Nyakane

18 – Vincent Koch

19 – Marvin Orie

20 – Marco van Staden

21 – Dan du Preez

22 – Herschel Jantjies

23 – Morné Steyn