Hougaard in the fray for Boks
• Coach expects Paige to make an impact off the bench
Experienced scrumhalf Francois Hougaard is the only change from last week to the Springbok starting XV selected to play Argentina. /
Experienced scrumhalf Francois Hougaard is the only change from last week to the Springbok starting XV selected to play Argentina in Salta on Saturday.
With Ross Cronjé missing the trip due to an ankle injury‚ Hougaard was the logical choice to start.
He was on the bench during last weekend’s 37-15 win over the Pumas in a first-round match in the Rugby Championship in Port Elizabeth.
Hougaard‚ who plays for the Worcester Warriors in England‚ started the third Test against France in June when Cronjé was also nursing an injury.
Bulls scrumhalf Rudy Paige is elevated to the bench with Jano Vermaak‚ who was a late call-up when Cronjé cried off‚ making up the numbers in the team.
“Francois has played a lot of Test match rugby‚ his work ethic is second to none and he has been working hard up to now since joining the squad‚” coach Allister Coetzee said.
“Rudy made a good impact in the third Test against France and I expect the same from him this weekend,” Coetzee said.
According to the Springbok
coach‚ the entire match 23 played well in Port Elizabeth‚ making it easy to announce just the one forced change in a week in which the team has a short turnaround due to the travel to South America.
The consistent team selection for Saturday also allows the Springboks to continue with their processes and keep building on their continuity.
The Boks have won four Tests in a row this season but have not won an away match for 22 months.
This is the start of a crucial period of three away matches, which will be an indication of the team’s progress.
Coetzee also pointed to the healthy competition for places in the team: “The players outside of the match-23 squad are all knocking on the door and that is a great position to be in.”
Coetzee said the Boks had to deliver an even better performance in Salta‚ where a fierce Puma challenge is expected.
“This is going to be a different challenge but I have no doubt the players will benefit and grow from every tough experience‚” the Springbok coach said.
“Our approach and preparation will be just the same as when we prepared for all our home Tests‚ and to control whatever we can control.
“We must again show patience‚ hunger and the desire to execute our game plan.”
The two teams have met twice in Salta before. In 2014‚ Jean de Villiers’ Springboks clinched a narrow, 33-31 win over the Pumas at the highaltitude venue and in 2016 the Pumas recorded a famous 26-24 win over the South Africans. /