LOCK Franco Mostert is the only change to South Africa’s team for Sunday’s (5.10am AEST) Rugby Championship Test against Argentina in Mendoza as coach Rassie Erasmus looks to repeat last weekend’s home win at the start of the southern hemisphere competition.
Mostert, who is headed to play for Gloucester this season after captaining the Lions to this month’s Super Rugby final, comes in for Pieter-Steph du Toit in the starting lineup.
“Franco needed rest after the Super Rugby season and the June internationals and we therefore didn’t consider him for Durban,” Erasmus said.
“He’s been our first choice No 5 lock and that’s why he’s starting on Saturday (local time).
“I want to us to build more continuity and those combinations now have another opportunity to play together and gain more experience.”
Erasmus suggested after the 34-21 win that he would make four to five changes but has had a change of heart.
There are changes among the forward replacements as lock RG Snyman returns to the squad in place of Marvin Orie, who did not travel, while prop Wilco Louw rotates places with Thomas du Toit.
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Pieter-Steph du Toit drops to the bench and takes the place of Marco van Staden, who won his first cap last week.
Assessing Argentina, Erasmus added: “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.”
Meanwhile, Tomas Lavanini has been recalled to add power and aggression to the Argentina pack in their only change.
The Springboks dominated the Pumas forwards in Durban and Lavanini is expected to help rectify that situation.
The 25-year-lock has a well founded reputation for robust play and his ability to prove disruptive could cause South Africa problems.
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Lavanini, who came off the bench last weekend, set a new record of six yellow cards in Pumas Tests last year.
He is the only change to the starting XV as he takes the place of Matias Alemanno.
The match marks the home debut for new coach Mario Ledesma, who added reinforcements to the squad after returning from Durban and has named two to the bench.
French-based hooker Facundo Bosch will be among the replacements and inside centre Jeronimo de la Fuente is also back on the reserves bench after injury.
Bosch is one of only two Europe-based players in the Argentina squad.
The other is Saracens tighthead Juan Figallo.
PUMAS (15-1): Emiliano Boffelli, Bautista Delguy, Matias Moroni, Bautista Ezcurra, Ramiro Moyano, Nicolas Sanchez, Gonzalo Bertranou, Javier Ortega Desio, Marcos Kremer, Pablo Matera, Tomas Lavanini, Guido Petti, Juan Figallo, Agustin Creevy (c), Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Reserves: Facundo Bosch, Santiago Garcia Botta, Santiago Medrano, Matias Alemanno, Tomas Lezana, Tomas Cubelli, Jeronimo de la Fuente, Juan Cruz Mallia
SPRINGBOKS (15-1): Willie le Roux, Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphiwe Dyantyi, Handre Pollard, Faf de Klerk, Warren Whiteley, Siya Kolisi (c), Francois Louw, Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Malcolm Marx, Tendai Mtawarira
Reserves: Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff, Wilco Louw, RG Snyman, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Embrose Papier, Lionel Mapoe, Damian Willemse
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