The final round of the shortened Rugby Championship is upon us as the Springboks and Los Pumas clash in the tournament’s last game at Ellis Park.
The match in Johannesburg could turn out to be a title decider if the Wallabies successfully stun the All Blacks in the earlier kick-off.
If not, the tournament’s last game will decide the final standings, with New Zealand hoisting the trophy in Melbourne.
However, with the Rugby World Cup around the corner, there is still plenty at stake for both sets of players and coaches.
Ahead of the clash, Planet Rugby has selected five storylines to follow.
Chance to book their ticket to France
While South Africa still have another three Rugby World Cup games to go before announcing their final squad, with Los Pumas having two – not including the Argentina XV fixtures – Saturday’s clash provides the opportunity for several players to book their seat on the plane to France 2023.
For example, Grant Williams has seemingly shot up the pecking order at scrum-half and looks set to replicate Herschel Jantjies’ efforts in 2019 and secure a spot in the final squad. Williams earns his first start against Argentina this weekend after impressing off the bench against Australia and New Zealand, and enjoying a stellar season with the Sharks. One more big performance could cement his place in the team.
The same applies to Manie Libbok, who forced his way into the team last year and earns his second start against the Pumas. With Handre Pollard sidelined and Damian Willemse struggling at fly-half last week, Libbok could force the Boks’ hand to include him in the squad – likewise for Siya Kolisi’s stand-in Marco van Staden, who was a revelation in the first Test of the year.
Likewise can be said for some of the Pumas on show, particularly for rookie winger Rodrigo Isgro, who was sensational on debut against Australia and has catapulted himself into the reckoning as a potential World Cup squad member, if not a starter.
Boks unleash Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe
The prospect of defending one Cheslin Kolbe is nightmarish for any defence coach, but when you effectively have to defend two, it makes Wes Craven’s ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ seem like the latest Peppa Pig.
Likening Kurt-Lee Arendse to Kolbe is both a compliment and a disservice to his ability at the same time, but one thing is for sure, if there is even a 30 per cent chance of scoring, the pair are going to race away with it.
Arendse is on a hot streak of 10 tries in his last seven Tests, while Kolbe heads into the clash off the back of a starring Challenge Cup final performance added to by being arguably the Boks’ best against New Zealand.
This weekend, the Springboks have two wingers who are comfortably among the most lethal attackers in world rugby, and if their inside backs can free them up, the Pumas will be spending a lot of time under their posts.
🔥 Try number three for Kurt-Lee Arendse. He’s on fire! #RSAvAUSpic.twitter.com/MWDx5L8dSj
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) July 8, 2023
Final home Test for Springboks
The ‘last’ narrative officially begins this weekend as South African fans will see a few stalwarts take the field in Green and Gold for the final time.
34-year-old prop Trevor Nyakane could well be one of those players, while Makazole Mapimpi and even Kolisi may have already played their last Test match at home.
Duane Vermeulen will captain the Springboks at Ellis Park in what is surely his final international in South Africa. The 37-year-old has not officially announced that he will retire after the Rugby World Cup, but it is expected.
He will earn his 68th Test cap on Saturday and will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest number eights, not only for the Springboks but in the international game.
It will also be the final game that Jacques Nienaber will lead the Springboks on home soil. The Boks’ head coach will join Leinster’s coaching staff after the Rugby World Cup.
Nienaber has had his highs and lows as head coach, notably winning the British and Irish Lions series, but he is the mastermind behind the side’s defence which played a crucial role in winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Cheika’s charges strive for consistency
After a dour performance in Round One against the All Blacks, Los Pumas pounced at the death to defeat the Wallabies 34-31 last week.
Michael Chieka’s charges dominated possession against Australia and largely controlled the fixture but had far too many lapses on defence.
Over the past few years, the biggest issue for Argentina has been consistency, with the Pumas seizing a shock win one week only to collapse the next.
With the squad together for a longer period from now until the World Cup, Cheika will be out to get a string of excellent performances, which will need to start this week with the World Cup fast approaching.
Fronting up
While Argentina historically have been a powerhouse come scrum time, the modern side is quite the opposite. The Argentine pack can occasionally gain the upper hand at the set-pieces, but that is yet to happen in their two games this year.
The All Blacks and Wallabies dominated the scrums over the opening rounds, and with the Springboks fielding six Rugby World Cup-winning front-rowers this week, the Pumas are in for another tough challenge.
The Springboks’ pack has yet to significantly gain the ascendancy they are used to at scrum time this tournament, but they will be targeting this clash to bring it all together.
READ MORE: 11 timely returns from injury to make the Rugby World Cup
Article courtesy of
Source link
