PREVIEW: Kolisi and co return for Mbombela Rugby Championship Test against Argentina

After naming a relatively experimental team in round five, Rassie Erasmus has brought back the big guns for this one – with 778 combined Test caps in the starting XV – and there will be a marked improvement in performance because of that.

The most notable selections include Eben Etzebeth’s in the second row, with the Hollywoodbets Sharks man set to break the great Victor Matfield’s all-time Springbok appearance record when he takes to the pitch for his 128th cap. At flyhalf, Manie Libbok is named at No 10 in place of Handre Pollard, who starts on the bench in a 5/3 split.

Particularly with Manie at pivot, we are likely to see the world champs continue to hone their Tonyball style of play this week, and if the game opens up late on, we may see the likes of Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe become increasingly involved in proceedings. After a pretty average performance under the high ball a week ago, the side will also seek more reward in this department come Saturday.

The lineout, which was also a bit of a lottery at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, will be more solid with Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit calling the shots from the get-go, while the side’s scrum dominance should remain intact.

The challenge for Argentina will be backing up their hometown heroics in the Republic; a tall order considering the amount of Bok A-listers back in action. The added loss of the brutal Marcos Kremer is another major blow to a Pumas pack that should be kept a lot quieter in Mpumalanga.

Verdict: South Africa (-18.5) 9/10

Back the Boks to be at their best in delivering Argentina a knockout blow at the Mbombela Stadium to lift the Rugby Championship trophy for the first time since 2019.