ARGENTINA V SOUTH AFRICA Saturday 25th August 2012 KO: 16:10 Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza 2012 Rugby Note. All data included within this document includes information from the old Tri-Nations Championship Records Championship. (including Tri-Nations) HEADLINES >> Points • MORNÉ STEYN needs just three more successful penalty kicks to break the Points Player century barrier for the Springboks. STEYN trails Percy Montgomery, who is the 17 Dan Carter all-time South African record holder with 148. New Zealand • STEYN is now only 36 points away from breaking the magic 500 figure for the 14 Berrick Barnes Springboks in all matches. Percy Montgomery continues to lead the way as South Australia Africa’s record points scorer with 893 points. 12 Morné Steyn • RODRIGO RONCERO makes his 46th start for Argentina in what will be his 51st South Africa Test, moving him beyond Mauricio Reggiardo to become the fourth most capped Argentine front rower of all time. RONCERO is the only player in either squad to have played at Rugby World Cup 1999. >> Tries • The Springboks need another 29 points on Saturday to hit the 600 point marker in Tests against Argentina. The Pumas need 22 to break the 300 barrier in matches Tries Player against South Africa. • Springbok captain JEAN DE VILLIERS equals the number of Test appearances 1 6 Players made by South African legend Mark Andrews when he runs out against Argentina on Saturday. DE VILLIERS wins his 77th cap, having bagged his 50th win in Springbok colours against the Pumas last weekend. All Time Rugby • South Africa require just three more drop goals to hit a century in Test rugby. Championship Records France lead the way with 214 drop goals. In addition, the Springboks need just (including Tri-Nations) 34 points to hit 9,300 points in all competitions. Six countries - New Zealand, Australia, England, Wales, France and Argentina - have scored more than 10,000 >> Points points in Test rugby. Points Player 478 Dan Carter HEAD TO HEAD New Zealand • Saturday’s clash between Argentina and South Africa in Mendoza is the 15th 328 Andrew Mehrtens New Zealand meeting of the two sides. The Pumas are still looking for their first victory against the Springboks, having lost their 14 previous Tests against the South Africans. 271 Matt Burke Australia • South African superiority over the history of the series is underlined in terms of their points scoring record against Argentina. In total, South Africa have scored 571 points in this fixture compared to the Argentina’s 278. The difference widens >> Tries in terms of tries scored, with South Africa on 73 tries compared to Argentina’s 26. Conversely, the Pumas lead the way in terms of successful penalty kicks in this fixture with 35, compared to the visitors’ 31. Tries Player • The first ever Test between the sides was played on November 6 1993 at Ferro 16 Christian Cullen Carril Oeste Stadium, Buenos Aires and yielded a 29-26 win for South Africa. That New Zealand game remains Argentina’s closest margin of defeat at home to the Springboks. 15 Josevata Rokocoko • The Pumas have not fared too well against the Springboks at home, losing each New Zealand Test by an average of 19 points. 13 Doug Howlett • Springbok captain JEAN DE VILLIERS, South Africa’s most capped centre with 61 New Zealand caps in this position, and BRYAN HABANA are the only members of the team that have played Test rugby in Argentina before. • Argentina came closest to beating South Africa in 2003, when they lost 26-25 to the Springboks in Port Elizabeth. © International Rugby Board 2012. Data extracted from Rugby Information Management System (23/08/2012 17:01). Page 1 Saturday 25th August 2012 KO: 16:10 ARGENTINA Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza SOUTH AFRICA Facts & Figures THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? • MORNÉ STEYN (210 points) needs a single point to • Both sides have left off where they began in the first overtake Percy Montgomery and become the leading match up last weekend by naming teams which South African points-scorer in Rugby Championship feature a mixture of youth and experience. Argentina history. field a team with just 336 caps in total, while South • South Africa have scored double the amount of drop Africa has 412 caps in its starting XV. goals in The Rugby Championship than any other team. • Only one player on the Argentina team has less than The Springboks lead the way with 18, with Australia on 10 caps: NICOLÁS SÁNCHEZ wins his fourth cap on nine and New Zealand on eight. Saturday having been brought in for the injured • Victor Matfield heads the South African charts for most Juan-Martin Hernandez. appearances in The Rugby Championship with 44, four • Argentina have little in the way of experience on the short of the all time record held by George Gregan on bench with five of the seven replacements with ten 48. caps or less. The exceptions are MARCOS AYERZA (35 caps) and last weekend’s starting full back LUCAS GONZÁLEZ AMOROSINO. THE VENUE • The Springboks will start the match with a combined total of 412 Test caps – 130 of those in the forwards • Saturday’s clash between Argentina and South Africa and 282 in the backs. is the second time rugby will be played at Estadio • Four of the South African side have less than ten caps Malvinas Argentinas. The home side made their debut with JACQUES POTGIETER the most inexperienced, there in June 2007 when they beat Italy 24-6 at the winning just his third cap for his country. 45,000 capacity stadium. • Only four of the Springbok starting XV made their • Built in 1976 in preparation for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, debuts before Rugby World Cup 2007. JEAN DE the stadium is home to three association football clubs: VILLIERS and BRYAN HABANA made their debuts in Godoy Cruz, Independiente Rivadavia and San Martin. 2002 and 2004, while FRANCOIS STEYN and JANNIE DU PLESSIS did it in 2006 and 2007 respectively. FORM GUIDE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK • Argentina started their summer series in convincing fashion with an excellent 37-22 win over a vastly more • Thirty year-old Springbok hooker TIAAN LIEBENBERG experienced Italian side. They followed that up with a will make his debut for his country if he comes off the 23-20 win over France in Cordoba but were well beaten bench against Argentina. 49-10 in the second Test between the sides. • Meanwhile South African replacements PATRIC • Before the June Tests, the Pumas had put the CILLIERS and JJ ENGELBRECHT, who made their debuts disappointment of their Rugby World Cup 2011 quarter against Argentina last weekend, could win their final defeat to New Zealand firmly behind them with second caps if they come off the bench on Saturday. another emphatic South American Championship victory – their 33rd victory in a competition which they have dominated since its inception in 1951. SIZE MATTERS • Last weekend’s 27-6 win over the Pumas at Newlands means that South Africa are unbeaten since being • South Africa have a slight weight advantage in the knocked out of Rugby World Cup 2011 by Australia. pack with the average weight of their forwards coming The Springboks enjoyed a decent June series, beating in at 116kg compared to Argentina’s 112kg. England 22-17 and 36-22, before drawing 14-14 with • EBEN ETZEBETH (2.02m - 118kg) and ANDRIES BEKKER them at Port Elizabeth. (2.08m - 121kg) are the heaviest and tallest second row combination in The Rugby Championship. • Second row BEKKER is the tallest of any starting player MAN IN THE MIDDLE in this weekend’s round of Rugby Championship matches. • Weighing in at 123kg, Toulouse second row PATRICIO • Steve Walsh of Australia makes his 49th appearance as ALBACETE is the heaviest player in either side this an international referee when he officiates in Argentina’s weekend. match against South Africa on Saturday. Walsh made his debut in 1998 when he refereed Argentina’s 35-18 loss to France at Velez Sarsfield Stadium in Buenos Aires. • Walsh celebrates his fifth Rugby Championship match this weekend, having refereed the historic clash between the two sides at Newlands last weekend. © International Rugby Board 2012. Data extracted from Rugby Information Management System (23/08/2012 17:01). Page 2 Saturday 25th August 2012 KO: 16:10 ARGENTINA Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza SOUTH AFRICA Team Sheets 15 ARGENTINA Martín IRB RANKING: 8 Rodríguez Test #: 349 Stade Français Replacements 16 Bruno Postiglioni (La Plata) 14 13 12 11 17 Marcos Ayerza (Leicester Tigers) Gonzalo Marcelo Santiago Horacio 18 Leonardo Senatore (Gimnasia y Esgrima de Camacho Bosch Fernández Agulla Rosario) Montpellier Herault Exeter Chiefs Biarritz Olympique Bath Rugby Rugby Club 19 Tomás Leonardi (San Isidro Club) 20 Martín Landajo (Club Atlético de San Isidro) 10 9 21 Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino (Montpellier Her- Nicolás Nicolás ault Rugby Club) Sanchez Vergallo 22 Juan Jose Imhoff (Racing Metro 92) Union Bordeaux-Bègles Stade Toulousain Key Stats 8 Juan Martín Fernandez # Caps Starting Lineup: 336 Avg Age Starting Lineup: 28 Lobbe (C) Oldest Player: Rodrigo Roncero (35) RC Toulonnais Youngest Player: Nicolás Sanchez (23) 6 7 Avg Weight Forwards: 112 kg Julio 5 4 Alvaro Farias Cabello Galindo Patricio Manuel Tucumán RC Albacete Carizza Racing Metro 92 Stade Toulousain Jockey Club Officials 3 2 1 Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia) - 48 Tests Juan Eusebio Rodrigo Figallo Guiñazu Roncero Tests at Venue: 0 Tests Montpellier Herault Argentina: 4 Tests Mendoza Rugby Club South Africa: 13 Tests Test Debut: 13/06/1998 - Argentina v France Assistant Referee 1: Jerome Garces (France) 1 2 3 Assistant Referee