Round three of the 2023 Rugby Championship is upon us, and with it the crowning moment to confirm which of the southern hemisphere big four enter the 2023 Rugby World Cup with bragging rights. 

Whilst in reality, the Championship is very much New Zealand’s to lose, the Springboks remain in with a chance. 

Jacques Nienaber’s men will know exactly what they need to do as they take to the hollowed turf at the iconic Ellis Park in Johannesburg. 

Should Australia overturn the All Blacks earlier in the day whilst also denying them a bonus point, then a South African victory with a bonus point will secure the title. 

Yet, this will be of secondary importance to Nienaber and South African Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus. What will be crucial is the performance that the Boks put on tape as the dynamic duo, along with the rest of the coaching team, begin to whittle down the squad to the necessary 33 players for the World Cup. 

Argentina’s Los Pumas, on the other hand, can lock in a second-place finish with a victory, a result they would no doubt have bitten your hand off for in the wake of their round one shellacking at the hands of the All Blacks. 

The #Springboks starting team for Saturday's Test against Argentina show nine changes from the Auckland match - more here: https://t.co/9jg5HEwTbU 👍#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/kCMFyeXhNJ

— Springboks (@Springboks) July 25, 2023

Round two’s bounce-back performance in Sydney is hard to quantify, given the Wallaby's inability to close out the fixture with just minutes remaining. Despite the late nature of the victory, it would be unfair to suggest that Los Pumas weren’t full value for their win. 

Had it not been for two late Australian scores, the second of which was a length of the pitch intercept try to Mark Nawaqanitawase. The South Americans would have been home and dry, having physically dominated proceedings for the first 65 minutes. 

Thus, what this fixture truly presents is a clash of two sides still searching for consistency in their performances. 

Having both seen off the Wallabies only to come unstuck against the All Blacks, it is important that both sides show an ability to back-up performances. 

On a head-to-head basis, if one is to try and compare apples to apples, the Springboks were the better of the two against the same opponents. 

Blowing the Wallabies off the park in round one 43 – 12 before only turning up for twenty minutes against the All Blacks, the Boks have shown more cutting edge than Los Pumas. 

In addition to this season’s form, historically, Argentina has struggled to contain the South African’s physicality for a full eighty minutes.

This trend is unlikely to end on Saturday as the Boks have gone with just about as big of a pack as any in world rugby. 

Captained by Number Eight Duane Vermeulen, the backrow alone with Pieter-Steph Du Toit and Marco van Staden on the flanks weigh in at a combined 770lbs. 

In a nod to the sheer confidence that they will physically get one over on the Argentineans, the South African coaching staff have opted for a 5 – 3 split on the bench rather than their usual 6 – 2. Clearly indicating that they feel their forward pack will have enough fitness to sustain an 80-minute effort whilst ensuring that their backline is thoroughly covered in every position. 

Despite painting a rather dire picture for Cheika’s charges, what they have shown is an ability to find an emotional pitch that is tough to match, whether it is the Latin flair or simply the fact that their backs were to the wall, the performance in Sydney combined passion with precision. 

To win in Johannesburg is undoubtedly a tougher task, given they have won just once in the republic in 16 attempts. Should they bring a similar intensity to this week’s outing as they did in round two, they could catch the Springboks napping. 

It would be fair to say that the Boks of 2023 have proven to be slow starters, taking the first 15 – 20 minutes to feel out their opponents before growing into the game. 

If Los Pumas can capitalise on this and get two scores clear, they could expose what has long been this Springbok side’s Achilles heel, which is mounting a comeback. 

Whilst this is certainly plausible, if one were to ask this Rugby writer what the odds of a Pumas victory are, I would say they have a 20% chance. Thus, as far as predictions go, I am going to go with a strong Springbok performance that will see them home by 15 points.