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Huge contest expected in Durban - Kolisi

Cape Town - Siya Kolisi and his Springbok team are energised, excited and ready for Saturday's Rugby Championship opening match against Argentina in Durban.

The match kicks off at 17:05.

Kolisi will skipper the Springboks from the side of the scrum following his swap with the experienced Francois Louw in revamped loose trio, which also includes the returning Warren Whiteley at No 8.

"It's vital that you start the competition on a good note," said Kolisi on Friday.

"Winning home games are very important, and we know it's going to be a huge contest on Saturday against Argentina, who will also be energised by the appointment of their new coach.

"The Jaguares' performances in Super Rugby will give the Pumas a lot of confidence so we know we will have deliver a quality performance against them here in Durban."

READ: Mark Andrews hands out Bok jersey

The Springbok skipper said it was especially good to welcome back Whiteley, Louw, Eben Etzebeth and Malcolm Marx.

He was also excited to see the uncapped Marco van Staden and Damian Willemse included in the Springbok match 23 for the first time.

According to Kolisi, the Springboks want to build on their success during the June internationals, when they managed a 2-1 win over a very good England side in the Incoming Series.

"I'm really excited for tomorrow’s match and we are looking to continue to build on what we started in June," said Kolisi.

"Some of us had been in training for up to five weeks in Stellenbosch and we've spend a lot of time focussing on areas where we can improve."

Teams:

South Africa

15 Willie le Roux, 14 Makazole Mapimpi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Siya Kolisi (captain), 6 Francois Louw, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Tendai Mtawarira

Substitutes: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Marvin Orie, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Lionel Mapoe, 23 Damian Willemse

Argentina

15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Bautista Ezcurra, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Matias Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Agustin Creevy (captain), 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro

Substitutes: 16 Diego Fortuny, 17 Santiago Garcia Botta, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Tomas Lavanini, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Martin Landajo, 22 Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, 23 Juan Cruz Mallia

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