Rugby Championship: South Africa v Argentina Preview and Predictions

After a one-year absence, a recharged Rugby Championship kicks off with added anticipation and renewed motivation this weekend, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

That the Springboks had to sit out the 2020 Southern Hemisphere showcase due to the pandemic was perhaps a blessing in disguise. Fans have become so used to South Africa squaring off with New Zealand, Australia and Argentina that the clashes have lost some of their buzz.

Their absence made for a one-off Tri-Nations, edged by the All Blacks, and all these months on some added excitement to see the men in Green and Gold once again mix it up with the Kiwis, Aussies and Argentinians, in the opposite order, with the Pumas first up in Gqeberha on Saturday.

We chatted to rugby punter Neal Hoogwerf about the Rugby Championship Test between South Africa and Argentina.

South Africa v Argentina

(Saturday 5.05 PM SA time)

After a gruelling British & Irish Lions series, Jacques Nienaber has gone the sensible route by resting most of his first-choice players, making no less than a dozen changes to the starting line-up. The series winners and world champions have the depth to do this, lest we forget, they employed a two-team system to win the tournament in 2019.

However, most of the combinations selected have never played together, so establishing synergy will be challenging. Granted, the Springboks don’t exactly play running rugby, but rhythm is required to build momentum nonetheless. Couple that with the fact that the Pumas will have continuity and have had ideal preparation to be both ready and fresh and all signs point to a tight contest.

The Argentinians defied all expectations when they went into the Tri-Nations ice cold, having had zero warm-up fixtures, and somehow pulled off a historic upset over the All Blacks and drew both Tests against the Wallabies. Not only have they had hit-outs to adequately prepare for this campaign, but they came out of those clashes with Wales unbeaten, drawing the first 20-20 and winning the second 33-11. As a result, I see the hosts winning but not overcoming the handicap.

Suggested Bets

Suggested Bet: Argentina (+9.5)

Suggested Bet: Under 54.5

Quintin van Jaarsveld

Quintin Van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 15 years’ experience and is currently a freelance sports writer.