Aussies look to banish Cape Town curse while struggling Argentina look to better All Black record
Thursday 25 September 2014 15:23, UK
The penultimate round of The Rugby Championship produces an intriguing contest as South Africa and Australia do battle at Newlands Park.
With a rampant All Blacks side having all but secured this year's Championship, the first of Saturday's ties sees both teams hoping to secure a victory that would cement their position in the final Championship standings.
The Springboks have been forced into three changes after Francois Louw and Ruan Pienaar were ruled out through injury, with the former receiving surgery on a neck injury.
Teboho Mohoje and Francois Hougaard - who makes his first Springbok’s start since 2012 - come into starting line-up while a string of changes to bench sees the uncapped Cobus Reinach join veterans Bakkies Botha, Schalk Burger and JP Pietersen.
South Africa will be hoping to bounce back from their narrow defeat to New Zealand and know an impressive victory over the Wallabies keep their faint title aspirations alive - potentially setting up a decider against the All Blacks on the final matchday.
The Boks will encounter an Austalian side fresh off their 32-25 victory over Argentina and confident of victory themselves following their one-point victory in the opposing fixture when the sides met in Gold Coast three weeks ago.
Head coach Ewen McKenzie will look to achieve set piece domination as the Wallabies visit Cape Town in search of their first victory there in 22 years, with the Aussies making a number of changes to the front row for the trip to Newlands Park.
Queensland Red’s hooker Saia Fainga’a and Brumbies winger Joe Tomane are in line for their first starts in the green and gold, Waratahs prop Benn Robinson is called up for the first time this year, while vice-captain Adam Ashley-Cooper returns to the squad after recovering from a nerve-compression injury.
A victory would see the Aussies leapfrog the Boks into second in the IRB world-rankings and see them regain the Mandela plate - a title they relinquished to the Boks in last year’s Championship.
Juan Manuel Leguizamon has been ruled of Argentina's remaining matches with New Zealand and Australia after he was injured during the defeat to Australia.
Hooker Santiago Iglesias will also miss the two games as he and the flanker were named as the only omissions from the 28-man squad that toured Australia and New Zealand.
The Pumas are still in search of their first victory over the All Blacks, but will have to better the performance seen in their 28-9 defeat to the visitors in opposing fixture.
Samuel Whitelock returns to an All Blacks' side which makes five changes to the one after their 14-10 victory over the Springboks in Wellington.
Forwards Dane Coles and Kevin Mealamu come in for the match in La Plata, while Malakai Fekitoa and fly-half Beauden Barrett start the match earning their fourth and twenty-third caps respectively.
Aaron Cruden has been dropped from the All Blacks' squad after he missed a flight to meet up with the squad following a night out in Auckland ahead of the team's flight to Argentina.
