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Mbonambi to captain Springboks against the Pumas

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Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi will lead the national team for the first time against Argentina in Buenos Aires in the first of three World Cup warm-up matches.

SA Rugby said the team for Saturday's clash shows 13 changes to the starting line-up, with Gerhard Steenekamp making his Springbok debut the only uncapped player in the squad.

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber named a vastly different squad to the side that defeated Argentina 22-21 at Emirates Airline Park last week.

The only two players retaining their places in the starting team are flyhalf Manie Libbok and lock Marvin Orie.

Nienaber also named a rejigged bench, with utility forward Jean-Luc du Preez and scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies donning the jersey for the first time this season."

He said earlier that he wanted to give as many players as possible a chance to prove themselves before naming their 33-man Rugby World Cup squad on Tuesday, 8 August.

"There is not a player in our enlarged squad who is fully confident that he will be in the World Cup squad, so the competition for places is intense," Nienaber said.

"Each one of the players is desperate for an opportunity to play and it's evident in the way they've been training and in the hard work they've been doing off the field, so we're excited to see what they bring this weekend."

Springbok team to face Argentina in Buenos Aires:

15 – Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 30 caps, 36 pts (2t, 4c, 4p, 2d)

14 – Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 5 caps, 5 pts (1t)

13 – Lukhanyo Am (Cell C Sharks) – 34 caps, 30 pts (6t)

12 – Andre Esterhuizen (Harlequins) – 12 caps, 0 pts

11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Cell C Sharks) – 37 caps, 110 pts (22t)

10 – Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers) – 6 caps, 31 pts (1t, 10c, 2p)

9 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 25 caps, 45 pts (9t)

8 – Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers) – 21 caps, 5 pts (1t)

7 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 64 caps, 15 pts (3t)

6 – Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers) – 6 caps, 0 pts

5 – Marvin Orie (DHL Stormers) – 13 caps, 0 pts

4 – Jean Kleyn (Munster) – 1 cap, 0 points (Ireland 5 caps)

3 – Thomas du Toit (Cell C Sharks) – 17 caps, 0 pts

2 – Bongi Mbonambi (captain, Cell C Sharks) – 59 caps, 60 pts (12t)

1 – Trevor Nyakane (Cell C Sharks) – 59 caps, 5 pts (1t)

Replacements:

16 – Joseph Dweba (DHL Stormers) – 5 caps, 0 pts

17 – Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – uncapped

18 – Vincent Koch (Cell C Sharks) – 44 caps, 0 pts

19 – Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks) – 13 caps, 10 pts (2t)

20 – Evan Roos (DHL Stormers) – 4 caps, 0 pts

21 – Herschel Jantjies (DHL Stormers) – 23 caps, 25 pts (5t)

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

23 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 9 caps, 50 pts (10t)