Boks search for first win on the road in two years in unfriendly Salta

Results have gone so well for the Springboks this year – four wins in excess of 20 points from four home Tests – it’s easy to forget they haven’t won an away match for nearly two years.

The last time the Boks won on the road was against Argentina in the bronze medal match at Rugby World Cup 2015 and since then they’ve lost six in a row away from home.

Which is why Saturday’s Rugby Championship second round clash against Argentina in Salta is a vital fixture for the Boks. They have momentum and confidence and it now needs to translate to a stirring performance in hostile territory.

And few venues are as unwelcoming as the high-altitude city of Salta where the Pumas beat the Boks 26-24 last season.

The home team seem to have an extra man as the jeering‚ whistling crowd harasses opponents and officials alike. Only mentally strong teams overcome it and that is one aspect of the Boks of 2017 that has yet to be tested.

During their 3-0 series whitewash against France in June‚ and last week’s 37-15 win over the Pumas in Port Elizabeth‚ this year’s Boks have yet to be in a situation where the game is in the balance going into the final 10 minutes.

Each of this season’s four wins have been secured by the hour-mark‚ which has eased pressure at that pivotal period in a game. It might be closer in Salta going into the final quarter and that’s where captain Eben Etzebeth and his leadership group will show us how much they have developed after last season.

There is far more clarity about the Boks’ play than there was last year‚ allied to a scrum that is setting new standards‚ an attack that is developing well and an improved defence‚ which has only conceded six tries in four matches.

Coach Allister Coetzee’s decision to rely almost exclusively on home-based players has paid dividends and improved the team culture.

He has made only one injury-enforced change for the match with scrumhalf Francois Hougaard replacing Ross Cronje with Rudy Paige coming onto the bench. Consistency in selection has led to consistency in performance.

Pumas coach Daniel Hourcade‚ by contrast‚ made six changes to the team that lost last week‚ indicating that the Pumas are unsettled. Their scrum was manhandled‚ and that’s not something Argentina are used to seeing. They’ll be smarting and the Boks can expect a backlash in that area.

Tomas Cubelli and Juan Martin Hernandez come in for Martin Landajo and Nicolas Sanchez respectively in the halfbacks for this weekend.

Up-front‚ two new props – Lucas Noguera and Ramiro Herrera – start while Matías Alemanno comes in for Guido Petti at lock.

The final change is at No 8 where Juan Manuel Leguizamón replaces the injured Leonardo Senatore.

Despite the changes Argentinean rugby is in a poor state at the moment. In June a weakened England (with over 10 players on British & Irish Lions duty) beat a full-strength Pumas in Argentina. Since the 2015 World Cup the Pumas have gone backwards‚ losing 12 of 17 Tests.

Which makes this match crucial for them as well. They have to halt their decline and home victories are critical if they want to stop the slide.

Argentina

15 Joaquin Tuculet‚ 14 Ramiro Moyano‚ 13 Matias Orlando‚ 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente‚ 11 Emiliano Boffelli‚ 10 Juan Martin Hernandez‚ 9 Tomas Cubelli‚ 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamón‚ 7 Tomas Lezana‚ 6 Pablo Matera‚ 5 Tomas Lavanini‚ 4 Matías Alemanno‚ 3 Ramiro Herrera‚ 2 Agustin Creevy (captain)‚ 1 Lucas Noguera

Substitutes: 16 Julian Montoya‚ 17 Santiago García Botta‚ 18 Enrique Pieretto‚ 19 Marcos Kremer‚ 20 Javier Ortega Desio‚ 21 Martin Landajo‚ 22 Nicolas Sanchez‚ 23 Matias Moroni.

South Africa

15 Andries Coetzee‚ 14 Raymond Rhule‚ 13 Jesse Kriel‚ 12 Jan Serfontein‚ 11 Courtnall Skosan‚ 10 Elton Jantjies‚ 9 Francois Hougaard‚ 8 Uzair Cassiem‚ 7 Jaco Kriel‚ 6 Siya Kolisi‚ 5 Franco Mostert‚ 4 Eben Etzebeth (captain)‚ 3 Coenie Oosthuizen‚ 2 Malcolm Marx‚ 1 Beast Mtawarira

Substitutes: 16 Bongi Mbonambi‚ 17 Steven Kitshoff‚ 18 Trevor Nyakane‚ 19 Pieter-Steph Du Toit‚ 20 Jean-Luc du Preez‚ 21 Rudy Paige‚ 22 Curwin Bosch‚ 23 Damian de Allende