One change to Boks for Battle at Mendoza
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has made one change to the starting lineup with the inclusion of lock Franco Mostert for Saturday’s clash against Argentina in Mendoza.
Mostert replaces Pieter-Steph du Toit, who falls to the bench, where he will be joined by R G Snyman and Wilco Louw‚ who both missed last week’s 34-21 win over the Pumas in Durban.
Marco van Staden and Marvin Orie‚ both on the bench a week ago‚ are omitted while the rest of the squad remains unchanged.
Erasmus explained his inclusion of Mostert in the lineup.
“Franco needed rest after Super Rugby and the June internationals and we therefore didn’t consider him for Durban.
“He’s been our first-choice No 5 lock and that’s why he is starting on Saturday‚” he said.
Erasmus kept his backline unchanged and also resisted the temptation to tweak his looseforward combination.
“I want us to build more continuity and those combinations now have another opportunity to play together and gain more experience.”
Regarding the Argentina clash Erasmus said: “We’ve always rated them as a very physical team and we felt the game [in Durban] was physical. They’re going to step it up and I think they will come hard at our mauling‚ scrums and the breakdowns.”
The Springboks travel to Mendoza on Friday. — DDC