Argentina coach Mario Ledesma will be looking to get his reign off to a positive start when his side face the Springboks in Durban on Saturday.
Ledesma took over from Daniel Hourcade, who was dismissed after that record 44-15 defeat to Scotland in June, spelling the end of a torrid 18 months, which included his side failing to register a single win in last year’s Rugby Championship.
Indeed, Los Pumas’ overall tournament record makes for grim reading. Of 33 matches played, they have won just three and drawn one since joining the Tri-Nations in 2012.
But in Ledesma, they may have just the man capable of turning around the fortunes of the national side, who have won two of its last 17 matches in all competitions.
Having cut his teeth in France as a forwards coach and then with the Wallabies, Ledesma excelled in his first season as head coach with the Jaguares, taking them to the quarter-finals for the first time in their Super Rugby history.
With Gonzalo Quesada taking over at the franchise, it is a different job for Ledesma, but with the same group of players, who will be buoyed to still have their mentor around at national level.
Ledesma’s request to call on European-based players has opened the door for Juan Figallo as the only non-Jaguares player to start on Saturday and is a move that could significantly alter the fortunes of the national team if more are drafted in.
Rassie Erasmus, whose Springboks host Los Pumas on the opening weekend, is aware that this is an Argentina side on the rise.
“Mario is definitely going to give this Argentina side new energy,” he said. “With the Jaguares, he went five or six games on the trot unbeaten under difficult circumstances in New Zealand and Australia and then beat all of our franchises.
“They have beaten us here before and they will be sitting back and enjoying the underdog tag but luckily we know that they are formidable, and we have seen what they have done to our Super Rugby teams and the New Zealand and Australian teams.”
After all, the Springboks themselves were experiencing dark days not too long ago but thanks to two consecutive series victories under their belt, they can afford to breathe a lot easier.
Under Rassie Erasmus, they should now be confident that they can go one better than their third-placed finish in last year’s tournament after a convincing 2-1 series triumph over England in the June internationals.
But the fine form of the Jaguares and the appointment of Ledesma will give the visitors plenty of confidence and they could cause an upset or two over the coming weeks.
Players to watch:
For South Africa: Stormers forward Pieter-Steph du Toit has become a senior member of this Springbok side and yet is still only 25 years of age. Whether it is on the blindside flank or at lock, Du Toit has been a rock in the Bok jersey since making his debut in 2013. Du Toit made the most carries of any tier one player during the June tests (42).
For Argentina: Jaguares captain Pablo Matera has had another impressive Super Rugby season. Matera was one of just three players to average more than 10 carries and 10 tackles per game, while he also won 13 turnovers. The former Argentina Sevens and Leicester Tigers man will offer another leadership option on the park besides Agustin Creevy.
Head-to-head: Arguably the world’s two best hookers are set for a collision course this weekend. Malcolm Marx is in the form of his life having scored 12 tries in Super Rugby this season and will be chomping at the bit, after missing the England series with a hamstring injury. The Lions number two will front up against Agustin Creevy, who is integral to his side’s cause as the leader and talisman, setting the example with high work rate and physicality in the loose and set-piece.
Previous results:
2017: South Africa won 41-23 in Mendoza
2017: South Africa won 37-15 in Port Elizabeth
2016: Argentina won 26-24 in Salta
2016: South Africa won 30-23 in Nelspruit
2015: South Africa won 24-13 in London
2015: South Africa won 26-12 in Buenos Aires
2015: Argentina won 37-25 in Durban
2014: South Africa won 33-31 in Salta
2014: South Africa won 13-6 in Pretoria
Prediction: The hosts to have too much muscle. Springboks by 10.
The teams:
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Makazole Mapimpi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 André Esterhuizen, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Siya Kolisi (c), 6 Francois Louw, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Marvin Orie, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Lionel Mapoe, 23 Damian Willemse
Argentina: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Bautista Ezcurra, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Matias Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Agustin Creevy (c), 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements: 16 Diego Fortuny, 17 Santiago Garcia Botta, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Tomas Lavanini, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Martin Landajo, 22 Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, 23 Juan Cruz Mallia
Date: Saturday, August 18
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 17:05 local (16:05 BST, 15:05 GMT)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Andrew Brace (Ireland)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)