The Springbok players who made the most of their chance against Argentina

The Springbok players who made the most of their chance against Argentina

South Africa cruised to a comfortable 32-12 victory over Argentina in their opening Rugby Championship fixture.

Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber made 10 alterations to his starting line-up following a series-clinching win over the British and Irish Lions last weekend with the Boks flexing their depth in Port Elizabeth. 

The test against the Pumas will have provided comfort for Nienaber with a number of fringe players sticking up their hand for future selections. 

We take a look at the players that impressed most.

Aphelele Fassi


A fullback by trade, Fassi earned his second test cap on Saturday featuring on the wing once again. The 23-year-old added to his test try tally as he brilliantly kept the ball in play from an Elton Jantjies cross-field kick and was superb all game under the high ball and on defence. He also finished another try wonderfully in the corner with Malcolm Marx being pinged for a double movement in the build up. 



Cheslin Kolbe and Makazole Mapimpi seem to have the wing spots nailed down in the first choice XV but keep an eye on Fassie, who looks to have all the tools to become a world class outside back.

Joseph Dweba

After a testing first season in France with Bordeaux, Joseph Dweba has been backed by the Bok coaches having been with the squad throughout the Lions series. While he got a chance to feature against the tourist in the South Africa A, he made his full test debut against Los Pumas. He showed exactly why he was trusted with the starting jumper with a solid enough outing at lineout time paired with powerful carries and tackles.

He stuck his five tackles and made 7 metres from his three carries.

Cobus Reinach

The scrumhalf depth for the Springboks was highlighted on Saturday with Herschell Jantjies ruled out before the encounter with Jaden Hendrikse coming onto the bench and making his test debut.

With Faf de Klerk also sidelined, Reinach took charge of the starting role as he did in the final test of the Lions Series. The Montpellier halfback punished the Pumas with a wonderful try from a loose pass sprinting over and in the corner from around 70 metres out. 

Reinach's kicking was excellent as well while his passing was accurate, even for the disallowed Fassi try. 


Kwagga Smith

Smith has well and truly put his below performance in the first test against the British and Irish Lions with the dynamic back rower making it three strong performances in a row.

He topped the tackle count against Los Pumas and was a real threat over the ball. 

His utility in the back row makes him a huge asset for the Springboks and even more so with his current form. 

Marco van Staden

Few players have improved their stock with the Springbok coaching staff over the last month or so than Marco van Staden. 

Not included for the alignment camps, van Staden forced his way into the squad and featured in all three tests against the Lions off the bench. 

He made a telling impact once again today with a tidy and physical 27-minute shift that included a carry where he shoved off two Argentine defenders in the build-up to Hendrikse's try.



Wilco Louw

Brought into the squad as front row cover during the British and Irish Lions Series, Louw took his first opportunity to shine in the Green and Gold this year with both hands. 

He was solid in the scrums, aggressive in defence and a strong ball carrier. He also had a strong moment to deny the Pumas a try as he single-handedly stopped three Pumas forwards from steaming over the line from a lineout drive. 



Jaden Hendrikse

Drafted into the matchday squad on the day of the game, Hendrikse was given just 9 minutes to make his mark on his test debut. 

With not too much time to impress, the 21-year-old made the most of his chances scoring wonderfully in the corner to secure the bonus point for the Springboks. 

Jasper Wiese

Wiese carried the ball well throughout the game beating seven defenders and was physical throughout. Having started two test prior to the clash with the Pumas Wiese is looking incredibly comfortable at test level. 

With Vermuelen not quite ready yet, Wiese is a handy replacement and maybe even a real contender for the position in the tests to come.

He made the second-most running metres (73) in the test, beat the most defenders (7) and made the most carries (12). Deservedly named man of the match. 

 
 
 
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