Los Pumas vs Springboks, for the Rugby Championship: preview and lineups

08/21/2021 8:29 AM

• Clarín.com

• sports

Updated 08/21/2021 8:30 AM

Between the ownership of one of the Seven members who was bronze in Tokyo 2020 and

the uncertainty about the future of the tournament due to the new sanitary restrictions in Australia

, Los Pumas play their second game of the

Rugby Championship

.

At 12.05, with ESPN2 televising, they will face the Springboks, who beat them 32-12 in their debut.

In the same setting as a week ago, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, Mario Ledesma will continue with the replacement that he intends in the Argentine national team for the 2023 World Cup. Therefore, of the four Olympic players who make up this extensive tour without return to Argentina until October, two entered the call for this match and one will start.

This is Ignacio Mendy,

the back of Los Tilos who at age 21 will make his international debut in the senior national team, while Lucio Cinti will face his chance on the bench.

Instead, Santiago Mare and Marcos Moneta were left out of the call and will wait for their opportunity in the next game.

“Mendy shone in this last week in terms of his ability to escape.

He is one of the players who is confident.

As at the time Mallía arrived, as Chocobares arrived.

They are players who add freshness and energy to the team.

No pressure beyond him, which he showed in training, ”

Ledesma praised him at Thursday's press conference.

Mendy showed off in Tokyo 2020 with the selected seven that achieved bronze.

Photo AP Photo / Shuji Kajiyama

Cinti, meanwhile, did not play but was on the squad that achieved last year's historic victory against the All Blacks. “

We see him more as 13 than as a wing. It is fast but I don't know if it has more international speed. He brings something that the other centers don't have: long arms and the ability to pass inside the defense. It also has an exacerbated ability to evasion. He is open to being multi-functional as a third back at the bank, "he

added.

The coach also confirmed six changes with respect to the debut. Two variants are required, since Matías Moroni (tear) and Facundo Isa, who said goodbye to the tournament due to a sprained right knee, were injured. The other four are tactical: the media will be Felipe Ezcurra and Nicolás Sánchez, Marcos Kremer and Bautista Delguy. In addition to Mendy, Tomás Lavanini, Gonzalo Bertranou, Domingo Miotti, Matías Alemanno and Juan Cruz Mallía will enter, who returns as fullback after two suspension dates. It is that, in addition to names, there will be castling in the positions of Los Pumas.

The absence of Nico Sánchez is notorious

but surely his entry for a few minutes will decree that he equals the mark of Agustín Creevy, so far the Puma with more international matches (89).

When speaking of the presence of Miotti in his place, Ledesma did not refer to a decrease in the performance of his usual opening but rather pointed to the future.

"He is coming into the last minutes and he gave us the feeling that he was asking for a clue. There is also the situation of continuing to develop players with a view to 2023," he

stressed.

Is Europe coming to the rescue?

While Ledesma delves into the variants so that its Pumas show a different image than the debut,

Sanzaar plans what will be the steps to follow as a result of the new sanitary restrictions imposed by the Australian government

in some regions of its territory, which caused the All Blacks not to travel to Perth to play Australia on Saturday the 28th, which put their continuity in the tournament on hold.

The conflict began when the province of Western Australia, whose capital is Perth, ordered a 14-day quarantine for those arriving from New Zealand due to an outbreak of the Delta strain in that country.

"Given the uncertainties, it seems reasonable to pause and find more clarity in the scheduling of those matches. We remain 100% committed to playing the entire Rugby Championship in 2021 and are working closely with SANZAAR to explore a variety of options." explained New Zealand Rugby (NZR) CEO Mark Robinson.

The All Blacks have put their participation on hiatus until a decision is made to reschedule matches.

Photo MICHAEL BRADLEY / AFP

The decision took the Australian Federation by surprise

, whose leader Andy Marinos acknowledged: "It is very disappointing to be informed of this decision through the media, while we had spoken with the New Zealand Federation shortly before."

In the midst of that dispute,

South Africa tried to take advantage and ran as host

.

"We indicated to SANZAAR that we are ready to host the rest of the competition in South Africa. We know how to organize rugby matches respecting sanitary measures, we have the necessary infrastructures and accommodation. We are only waiting for the green light," said Jurie Roux, president of the South African Federation.

Another variant emerged in the specialized media: Europe.

Even the RugbyPass site published that they would be double dates in Paris, London, Dublin and Cardiff.

"Officially we do not know anything. It is all very dynamic. We are finding out things by droppers. Within 24 hours they will inform us. We are still waiting to see how it continues. What is good about Europe is that it is the same time zone in the that we are here and there is direct flight. The adaptation time is shorter. The 8 hours difference with Australia makes times are hunchback, you have to adapt the hours of sleep and training. Here you travel and you can train normally every day next ", Ledesma said about a situation that, surely, will add more chapters in the next few hours.

11 changes to the Springboks

South Africa had already made 10 changes from their previous debut match.

Photo AP Photo / Halden Krog

The world champion won in the debut of the Rugby Championship.

However, he will move pieces again for his second game with Los Pumas and players who had been in the series against the British & Irish Lions the week before will return.

Coach Jacques Nienaber will make eleven changes to his starting XV, with the returns of wing Cheslin Kolbe and starter Handre Pollard enjoying a break.

Among the defenders, meanwhile, he will only repeat Cobus Reinach.

Thus, the team will form with Willie le Roux;

Cheslin Kolbe, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende and Makazole Mapimpi;

Handré Pollard and Cobus Reinach;

Jasper Wiese, Franco Mostert and Siya Kolisi;

Lood by Jager and Marvin Orie;

Thomas du Toit, Malcolm Marx, and Trevor Nyakane.

On the bench will be Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Nicolaas van Rensburg, Kwagga Smith, Dan du Preez, Jaden Hendrikse and Damian Willemse.

In the absence of the All Blacks, the Springboks are in a favorable position to take the lead in the Rugby Championship.

New Zealand and South Africa both won with the offensive bonus at the start of the tournament that brings together the best teams in the southern hemisphere, although the New Zealanders had the advantage due to the difference in points (+35 against +20).

Look also

Six changes in Los Pumas to play on Saturday against the Springboks in the Rugby Championship

The Pumas started the Rugby Championship with a hard fall in South Africa