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The Springboks line up for the anthem. Photo: EPA/KIM LUDBROOK

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Nienaber to give players a chance to fight for World Cup spot

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber made 14 changes for the team’s ‘rematch’ with Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

04-08-23 14:13
The Springboks brand - Rugby World Cup group
The Springboks line up for the anthem. Photo: EPA/KIM LUDBROOK

Springbok coach Jaques Nienaber looks to give as many players as possible a chance to prove themselves before naming their 33-man Rugby World Cup squad on Tuesday, 8 August.

This week, he made 14 changes to his starting line-up that is set to face Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

“We’ve been emphasising the importance of giving as many players as possible a fair chance to show what they can do with an eye on finalising our Rugby World Cup squad, so we are pleased to give Herschel and Jean-Luc an opportunity to play.

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“This is going to be a massive physical battle and there will be a lot of pressure on the players mentally and physically, which is exactly the type of situation we would like to see them in as we enter our World Cup warm-up games,” Nienaber said.

Bongi Mbonambi, who will earn his 60th Test cap this weekend, takes over as captain of the Springboks. Regular captain Siya Kolisi is still recovering from a knee injury while stand-in captains Eben Etzebeth and Duane Vermeulen are not part of the travelling squad to Argentina.

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Nienaber says team selected will be a vastly different team to last week.

“There’s a fair bit of experience within this squad, and apart from Gerhard, most of the players have been in the selection mix in the last two seasons,” said Nienaber.

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“There is not a player in our enlarged squad who is fully confident that he will be in the World Cup squad, so the competition for places is intense. Each one of the players is desperate for an opportunity to play and it’s evident in the way they’ve been training and in the hard work they’ve been doing off the field, so we’re excited to see what they bring this weekend.”

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