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Cape Town - The Springboks will get the better of Argentina in their Test in Buenos Aires on Saturday, if local bookmakers are to be believed.
Sportingbet.co.za have tipped the Boks to win by six points as they prepare for their final Test before the Rugby World Cup starts next month.
The Springboks last week suffered their first ever defeat to Argentina when they went down 37-25 in Durban - despite the bookies pre-Test tipping Heyneke Meyer’s men to win by as many as 20 points.
The Bok coach has been under fire after his side slipped from second to fifth in the World Rugby rankings and will this week gladly take the bookies’ narrow six-point prediction.
Meyer also copped criticism in other quarters for failing to transform the national side, with five black players reportedly having approached trade union Cosatu over being sidelined in matches.
Those claims from Cosatu have no doubt caused more pressure on the Bok coach, but the intentions behind the claims appear suspicious to say the least.
No black player in the squad has come forward backing Cosatu’s statement and prop Trevor Nyakane said earlier this week he doubted those claims.
“To us it’s nothing. I don’t know of anyone that could have done something like that," Nyakane said earlier this week.
Those issues aside, a win is badly needed for Meyer’s beleaguered Boks, who now boast an 18-1 win-loss record over Argentina, with one Test ending in a draw.
Kick-off on Saturday's Test is scheduled for 21:40 (SA time).
Teams:
Argentina
15-Joaquin Tuculet, 14-Santiago Cordero, 13-Matias Moroni, 12-Juan Martin Hernandez, 11-Juan Imhoff, 10-Nicolas Sanchez, 9-Martin Landajo; 8-Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 7-Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 6-Tomas Lezana, 5-Tomas Lavanini, 4-Benjamin Macome, 3-Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2-Agustin Creevy (captain), 1-Marcos Ayerza
Substitutes: 16-Julian Montoya, 17-Lucas Noguera, 18-Juan Pablo Orlandi, 19-Matias Alemanno, 20-Pablo Matera, 21-Tomas Cubelli, 22-Juan Pablo Socino, 23-Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino
South Africa
15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Lwazi Mvovo, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Schalk Burger, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Trevor Nyakane
Substitutes: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20, Pieter-Steph du Toit, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 Jan Serfontein
