Springbok team announced to face Argentina

Heyneke Meyer has announced the Springbok team that will play Argentina on Saturday, 17 August 2013, at FNB Stadium in Soweto for the opening round of the 2013 Rugby Championship.

The team features a familiar lineup to that of the squad that faced Samoa, Scotland and Italy in the June tests.

Duane Vermeulen makes his return from injury and will don the number 8 jersey in the starting lineup, while Willem Alberts gets the nod to start on the side of the scrum and Juandre Kruger in the starting lock position.

The backline features the familiar faces from the June tests, who proved to work well together and are evidently able to score some impressive tries.

The bench sees Guthro Steenkamp enter the game again, while Siya Kolisi and the returning Fourie du Preez add some new excitement and experience respectively.

“Continuity has been key for us this year and that is why we’ve opted not to make too many changes to the team for Saturday’s Test against Argentina,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.

“It’s great to have Duane back at No 8, while Juandré has been doing great work in the line-outs all season long. To have someone of the calibre of Flip on the bench, next to the experience Fourie and Gurthrö bring to the team, is a great situation to be in.”

The Springboks will face Argentina Argentina on Saturday, 17 August 2013, at FNB Stadium in Soweto. Kick off is at 17:00 (SA, GMT+2)

Springbok team to face Argentina:

15. Willie Roux, 14. Bjorn Basson, 13. JJ Engelbrecht, 12. Jean de Villiers, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Morne Steyn, 9. Ruan Pienaar, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Willem Alberts, 6. Francois Louw, 5. Juandre Kruger, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. Adriaan Strauss, 1. Tendai Mtawarira,
Replacements: 16. Bismarck du Plessis, 17. Guthro Steenkamp, 18. Coenie Oosthuizen, 19. Flip van der Merwe, 20. Siya Kolisi, 21. Fourie du Preez, 22. Patrick Lambie, 23. Jan Serfontein