South Africa have home advantage against Argentina in the fifth round of the 2025 Rugby Championship. The winning team in Durban will have an advantage in the final round of the Rugby Championship as attention moves back and forth from the Springboks and Los Pumas to the All Blacks and the Wallabies.
The Springboks and Los Pumas both have two wins and two losses from the previous four matches, all of which were in the Rugby Championship. South Africa fell to Australia in Johannesburg and to New Zealand in Wellington while beating the same teams in Cape Town and Wellington. Similarly, Argentina defeated New Zealand in Buenos Aires and Australia in Sydney but lost in Córdoba and Townsville.
The parity ought to bode well for the Rugby Championship; however, South Africa and New Zealand have broken away from the four country alliance to contest “The Greatest Rugby Rivalry” in 2026. This means that the Rugby Championship will be played on a biennial rather than an annual basis after 2025 and that the next normal Rugby Championship will next be contested in 2029.
Current World Ranking: 1 (91.62 points)
2025-09-13 – New Zealand 10-43 South Africa (Wellington, NZ)
2025-09-06 – New Zealand 24-17 South Africa (Auckland, NZ)
2025-08-23 – South Africa 30-22 Australia (Cape Town, ZA)
2025-08-16 – South Africa 22-38 Australia (Johannesburg, ZA)
2025-07-19 – South Africa 55-10 Georgia (Nelspruit, ZA)
2025-07-12 – South Africa 45-0 Italy (Port Elizabeth, ZA)
2025-07-05 – South Africa 42-24 Italy (Pretoria, ZA)
2025-06-28 – South Africa 54-07 Barbarians (Cape Town, ZA)
Current World Ranking: 6 (84.40 points)
2025-09-13 – Australia 26-28 Argentina (Sydney, AU)
2025-08-23 – Australia 28-24 Argentina (Townsville, AU)
2025-08-23 – Argentina 29-23 New Zealand (Buenos Aires, AR)
2025-08-16 – Argentina 24-41 New Zealand (Córdoba, AR)
2025-07-19 – Argentina 52-17 Uruguay (Salta, AR)
2025-07-12 – Argentina 17-22 England (San Juan, AR)
2025-07-05 – Argentina 12-35 England (La Plata, AR)
2025-06-20 – British & Irish Lions 24-28 Argentina (Dublin, IE)
 + STARTING LINEUP CHANGES |
|
IN | OUT |
| 4 | Eben Etzebeth | Lood de Jager |
| 15 | Damian Willemse | Aphelele Fassi |
|
IN | OUT |
| 4 | Franco Molina | Guido Petti |
| 5 | Lucas Paulos | Pedro Rubiolo |
| 6 | Pablo Matera | Juan Martín González |
| + MOST CAPS |
– E Etzebeth (136), S Kolisi (96), PS du Toit (91), D de Allende (91), M Marx (82), K Smith (57), O Nche (45), C Kolbe (44), C Reinach(44), RG Snyman (44), D Willemse (43)
– P Matera (116), J Montoya (112), G Petti (93), M Kremer (77), S Carreras (59), JM González (46), JC Mallía (46), L Cinti (38), M Vivas (35)
| + LEAST CAPS |
– E Hooker (3), M van den Berg (3), B Venter (4), JH Wessels (7), R Nortje (11), S Feinberg-Mngomezulu (13)
– B Wenger (2), S Benítez Cruz (5), F Coria Marchetti (5), R Isgró (11), G García (15), F Molina (16)
| + NOTABLE ABSENTEES |
– Frans Malherbe (TH), Lood de Jager (LO), Kurt-Lee Arendse (WI), Aphelele Fassi (FB)
– Ignacio Calles (LH), Thomas Gallo (LO), Eduardo Bello (TH)
Rassie Erasmus (Head Coach)
“We’re not going to play expansive running rugby and try to score more. If it happens, great, but all the teams try and do the same. We’re going to play a test match. This is a very dangerous Argentinian team, and if we worry about when guys got some mental scars, because they beat us before, I think all of us have been involved, with them beating us, so we try not to chat too much about that, but we know it’s a real threat from their side.”
Marcos Kremer (Pumas Flanker)
“The truth is that it is a huge joy, first and foremost, having the opportunity to play against the team and with this team too. The joy of going out to measure ourselves against the best team in the world and to challenge them. I believe that this is one of the tightest Rugby Championships. Expectations are for later; we are taking it one game at a time.”
- The Springboks play their final home test match for 2025.
- Both teams are chasing the Rugby Championship Triple Crown of defeating every rival in the same year.
- Durban plays host to South Africa vs Argentina for the 4th time. The first time was in 2015 with Argentina defeating South Africa 37-25 to write history. The Springboks won in Durban in 2018 and 2022.
- Julián Montoya, Guido Petti and Pablo Matera are survivors from the 2015 win in Durban. Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Cobus Reinach and Damian de Allende played for South Africa that day.
- Satiurday’s match is the first of two between the teams in 2025. The two 2024 results were one win and one loss each. Argentina won 29-28 in Santiago del Estero and South Africa won 48-7 in Nelspruit.
- Andre Esterhuizen, Eben Etzebeth, Ethan Hooker, Siya Kolisi, and Ox Nche all play for the Durban-based Sharks in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
- South Africa’s backline has a far lower cap average than do the forwards. The average caps per starting back is 37 compared to 66 per starting forward. The replacements average 24 caps each.
- Los Pumas have fewer overall caps and fewer on average in the starting XV. The average caps per starting forward is 52 and per starting back is 32. However, Argentina’s replacements average 27 caps.
- Eben Etzebeth is the most capped Springbok of all-time with 136 caps going into the test match.
- Pablo Matera is the most capped Puma with 116 caps.
- Thomas du Toit and Santiago Carreras will be teammates at Bath in the English Premiership.
- Rassie Erasmus has gone for the standard replacement arrangement of five forwards and three backs. Notwithstanding, reserve center Andre Esterhuizen played flanker as a replacement earlier this year.
- Felipe Contepomi has opted for six replacement forwards and two backs. This sees two second-rowers on the bench. In addition, Contepomi said that replacement flanker Juan Martín González is also covering wing.
- Contepomi has rotated his back-rowers with one change each match throughout the tournament.
- Lucas Paulos earns his first cap of the 2025 Rugby Championship. It is his first Rugby Championship cap since locking the scrum with Tomás Lavanini in the 22-21 loss vs South Africa in Johannesburg in 2023.
- Julián Montoya leads Argentina for the 51st time in a rugby test match. This sees him tying the all-time Argentine record of 51 caps as captain together with Agustín Creevy.
- Mayco Vivas, Julián Montoya, Pedro Rubiolo and Pablo Matera have played in all 8 Pumas’ matches in 2025.
The late afternoon kick-off in Durban will provide differing conditions compared to those from Townsville and Sydney. The heat will not be overly-influential nor will the breeze from Indian Ocean. Los Pumas are tasked with combating the Springboks’ strength in the set-piece and the collision areas, doing so while maintaining discipline. This will require an 80 minute performance and constant focus to withstand comparative periods to those in which South Africa crossed for multiple tries against both Australia and New Zealand. The world no 1 South Africa are favorites to win in Durban.
SOUTH AFRICA
1 Ox Nche, 2 Malcolm Marx, 3 Thomas du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Ruan Nortje, 6 Siya Kolisi (capt.), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8 Jasper Wiese, 9 Cobus Reinach, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 11 Ethan Hooker, 12 Damian de Allende, 13 Canan Moodie, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 15 Damian Willemse
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Rudolph Gerhardus Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Morne van den Berg, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Andre Esterhuizen
ARGENTINA
1 Mayco Vivas, 2 Julián Montoya (capt.), 3 Joel Sclavi, 4 Franco Molina, 5 Lucas Paulos, 6 Pablo Matera (vice-capt.), 7 Marcos Kremer, 8 Joaquín Oviedo, 9 Gonzalo García, 10 Santiago Carreras, 11 Mateo Carreras, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 12 Lucio Cinti, 14 Rodrigo Isgró, 15 Juan Cruz Mallía (vice-capt.)
Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Boris Wenger, 18 Francisco Coria Marchetti, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Pedro Rubiolo, 21 Juan Martín González, 22 Simón Benítez Cruz, 23 Tomás Albornoz
Date: Saturday, September 27
Kickoff: 5:10pm (South Africa); 12:10pm (Argentina)
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Broadcasts: ESPN, Disney + (Argentina)
Weather Forecast: Mostly Cloudy; 23°C; Wind 26 km/h
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Angus Mabey (New Zealand); Pierre Brousset (France)
Television Match Official: Brett Cronan (Australia)
Split Screen/FPRO: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
| RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS |
| # | TEAM | WIN | LOSS | POINTS |
| 1 |  AUSTRALIA |
2 | 2 | 11 |
| 2 | SOUTH AFRICA |
2 | 2 | 10 |
| 3 |  NEW ZEALAND |
2 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | ARGENTINA |
2 | 2 | 9 |
| HISTORY vs (1993-2024) |
Sep 28, 2024 – South Africa 48-07 Argentina (Nelspruit, ZA)
Sep 21, 2024 – Argentina 29-28 South Africa (Santiago del Estero, AR)
Aug 05, 2023 – Argentina 13-24 South Africa (Buenos Aires, AR)
Jul 29, 2023 – South Africa 22-21 Argentina (Johannesburg, ZA)
Sep 24, 2022 – South Africa 38-21 Argentina (Durban, ZA)
Sep 17, 2022 – Argentina 20-36 South Africa (Buenos Aires, AR)
Aug 21, 2021 – South Africa 29-10 Argentina (Port Elizabeth, ZA)
Aug 14, 2021 – South Africa 32-12 Argentina (Port Elizabeth, ZA)
Aug 17, 2019 – South Africa 24-18 Argentina (Pretoria, ZA)
Aug 10, 2019 – Argentina 13-46 South Africa (Salta, AR)
Aug 25, 2018 – Argentina 32-19 South Africa (Mendoza, AR)
Aug 18, 2018 – South Africa 34-21 Argentina (Durban, ZA)
Aug 26, 2017 – Argentina 23-41 South Africa (Salta, AR)
Aug 19, 2017 – South Africa 37-15 Argentina (Port Elizabeth, AR)
Aug 27, 2016 – Argentina 26-24 South Africa (Salta, AR)
Oct 20, 2016 – South Africa 30-23 Argentina (Nelspruit, ZA)
Oct 30, 2015 – South Africa 24-14 Argentina (London, UK)
Aug 15, 2015 – Argentina 12-26 South Africa (Buenos Aires, AR)
Aug 08, 2015 – South Africa 25-37 Argentina (Durban, ZA)
Aug 23, 2014 – Argentina 31-33 South Africa (Salta, AR)
Aug 16, 2014 – South Africa 13-06 Argentina (Pretoria, ZA)
Aug 24, 2013 – Argentina 17-22 South Africa (Mendoza, AR)
Aug 17, 2013 – South Africa 73-13 Argentina (Johannesburg, ZA)
Aug 25, 2012 – Argentina 16-16 South Africa (Mendoza, AR)
Aug 18, 2012 – South Africa 27-06 Argentina (Cape Town, ZA)
Aug 19, 2008 – South Africa 63-09 Argentina (Johannesburg, ZA)
Oct 14, 2007 – South Africa 37-13 Argentina (Paris, FR)
Nov 05, 2005 – Argentina 23-34 South Africa (Buenos Aires, AR)
Dec 04, 2004 – Argentina 07-39 South Africa (Buenos Aires, AR)
June 28, 2003 – South Africa 26-25 Argentina (Port Elizabeth, ZA)
June 29, 2002 – South Africa 49-29 Argentina (Springs, ZA)
Dec 12, 2000 – Argentina 33-37 South Africa (Buenos Aires, AR)
Nov 16, 1996 – Argentina 21-44 South Africa (Buenos Aires, AR)
Nov 09, 1996 – Argentina 15-46 South Africa (Buenos Aires, AR)
Oct 15, 1994 – South Africa 46-26 Argentina (Johannesburg, ZA)
Oct 08, 1994 – South Africa 42-22 Argentina (Port Elizabeth, ZA)
Nov 13, 1993 – Argentina 23-52 South Africa (Buenos Aires, AR)
Nov 06, 1993 – Argentina 26-29 South Africa (Buenos Aires, AR)
| HEAD TO HEAD vs |
South Africa Wins 33
Argentina Wins 4
Draws 1
