Rugby Championship 2023

NZ were good but SA were terrible. They looked like rusty players who were shell shocked and even basic skills were letting them down.

I cant see that game as being close to the intensity of last weekend with it being 2 weeks out from a world cup. It will be as close as a friendly can be in rugby, with many players just trying to get through it without an injury.

South Africa going close enough to full strength for this one but changing out a few guys to get a look at one or two players who haven't had much game time yet.

Scary to see those two front rows and think that Nche and du Toit don't make the 23.

Springbok team to face Argentina in Johannesburg:

15 – Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) – 85 caps, 65 pts (13t)

14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) – 24 caps, 81 pts (12t, 3c, 5p)

13 – Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 59 caps, 60 pts (12t)

12 – Damian de Allende (Panasonic Wild Knights) – 71 caps, 45 pts (9t)

11 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 8 caps, 50 pts (10t)

10 – Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers) – 5 caps, 19 pts (8c, 1p)

9 – Grant Williams (Cell C Sharks) – 3 caps, 0 pts

8 – Duane Vermeulen (captain, SA Rugby) – 67 caps, 15 pts (3t)

7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 68 caps, 30 pts (6t)

6 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 11 caps, 0 pts

5 – Marvin Orie (DHL Stormers) – 12 caps, 0 pts

4 – Eben Etzebeth (Cell C Sharks) – 111 caps, 20 pts (4t)

3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 60 caps, 5 pts (1t)

2 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 60 caps, 75 pts (15t)

1 – Steven Kitshoff (Ulster) – 73 caps, 10 pts (2t)

Replacements:

16 – Bongi Mbonambi (Cell C Sharks) – 58 caps, 60 pts (12t)

17 – Trevor Nyakane (Racing 92) – 59 caps, 5 pts (1t)

18 – Vincent Koch (Cell C Sharks) – 43 caps, 0 pts

19 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 32 caps, 20 pts (4t)

20 – RG Snyman (Munster) – 25 caps, 5 pts (1t)

21 – Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles) – 47 caps, 44 pts (5t, 2c, 5p)

22 – Lukhanyo Am (Cell C Sharks) – 33 caps, 30 pts (6t)

23 – Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 29 caps, 36 pts (2t, 4c, 4p, 2d)

Absolutely but I think that said more about NZ though than anything. That was the most cohesive and accurate performance I've seen from NZ in a long time and I think they've finally settled on an effective backline with their 12, 13, 15 axis being central to their last couple of performances.

SA desperately need an outhalf to play their game though. Libbok and Willemse aren't capable of playing a territorial game that concentrates on their pack moving forward. If Pollard doesn't recover from his calf injury, I don't think they're going to go past the quarter final.

They really are not the same without Pollard. Amazing to see them all over the place without him.

What if they are only gearing up to the world cup? What if they don't give a shite about this shortened tournament. I would not write them off. Man for man they are loaded. They've got world class players in the squad and finding the balance and mechanisms is likely what they're doing.

They could also be gash. As could the kiwis.

So they lost on purpose? With a squad as old as that I cant see any logic for that performance.

Its the main draw for every side, it doesnt justify that performance and result. Someone like Australia I can see the justification with Eddie just taking over but SA with such a settled and experienced side I struggle to see any logic.

It makes no difference. The world cup is the golden goose. Let's see how that plays out. I'm more concerned about France rather than any souther hemisphere team. That said, the world cup winners most likely will come from our end of the draw. S.A will be tough as will N.Z.

Debut for Roigard. Whitelock on the bench and the loose forwards I was hoping for. I like that team.

I dont really see how getting their asses handed to them in Auckland prepares them for a RWC that's 50 days away...

I like the BR but I would really like to see Jacobson at 8 and Savea moved to 7. Savea is a world class player so you can put him anywhere in the BR and he would shine but I still feel he's a 7 playing at 8.

We'll see.

I thought he was well deserving of a start again. Didn't think Mo'unga was so markedly better, for me DMC offers a game breaking ability beyond his peers at the moment.

yeah, he's lethal off the back and is also a great passer in that channel. See Jordan's try against Ireland. He's one of the best 8s in the world.

What will we possibly see?

Even if SA win the WC, it doesn't mean they didn't care about the game in NZ - like you've claimed.