Heyneke Meyer has announced the Springbok side that will play Argentina in the Bronze Final of the Rugby World Cup at Olympic Stadium on Friday night.
Victor Matfield replaces Lood de Jager as one of only two changes to the starting line-up from Saturday’s semi-final against New Zealand. He takes over the over the captaincy from the injured Fourie du Preez, whose place in the No 9 jersey is taken by Ruan Pienaar with Rudy Paige coming on to the bench.
“This is a critical match for us and we owe it to ourselves and our supporters to end the season on a high note,” said Meyer.
“The Pumas have made massive strides in recent years and we’ve experienced first-hand how tough an opponent they can be. The players realise that they will have to lift themselves for one final push on Friday to ensure that South African rugby goes into the off season on a winning note.
“I considered fielding a much-changed team and weighed the pros and cons but ultimately decided the team that has grown together over the past few weeks was the one with the best chance of delivering victory for our supporters.”
SOUTH AFRICA SIDE TO PLAY ARGENTINA
Willie le Roux, JP Pietersen, Jesse Kriel, Damian De Allende, Bryan Habana, Handré Pollard, Ruan Pienaar, Duane Vermeulen, Schalk Burger, Francois Louw, Victor Matfield (captain), Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Bismarck du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements:
Adriaan Strauss, Trevor Nyakane, Jannie du Plessis, Lood de Jager, Willem Alberts, Rudy Paige, Pat Lambie, Jan Serfontein.
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