South Africa vs Argentina Prediction: A much needed win for the two sides

At the end of the third and final round of matches for the 2023 Rugby Championship, South Africa will face off against Argentina at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg. Both teams come into this match sitting in second and third place, respectively, in their respective standings heading into it. Who do you think will come out on top in this match?

The Springboks currently have six points, which puts them one point ahead of their opponents in the standings. However, the Springboks will not be content to simply maintain their lead since they want to continue their formidable head-to-head dominance over Argentina, in which they have won 30 of the 34 previous test matches against Argentina (drawn 1, lost 3). The Springboks will be favored to pick up what will be their ninth win in their last 11 home matches (W8, L2) should they put away the Pumas. If they are successful, this will be their ninth win in their last 11 home matches.Once again, Head Coach Jacques Nienaber has labored over his team sheet, and this time he has made nine changes in an effort to "spread that load between the squad." The notable changes in the forwards include the return of the bulldozing Duane Vermeulen to his number eight position, where he also serves as the team captain. Additionally, the hard-working Malcom Marx gets a start at hooker, where he has the potential to become the Springboks highest-ever try-scoring forward with 17 points if he crosses the whitewash here. Their enforcer and lock Eben Etzebeth will stroll out for his 112th test match, overtaking their previous captain and hooker John Smit's tally of 111 to become their fourth most capped player, while scrumhalf Grant Williams wins his first Test start.

Argentina were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in their most recent match against Australia by scoring a converted try in the final minute of play. This victory ended Argentina's recent skid of three consecutive losses. If Australia were to lose, the Pumas would avoid being relegated to the bottom of the Rugby Championship standings for just the second time in 11 seasons, which may discourage them from wishing that New Zealand would defeat Australia in the earlier encounter like their hosts would in the earlier match. Given that they had never won in any of their previous 16 trips to South Africa (L15), it is possible that they might benefit more from having the work done for them.In an effort to pull off an upset, Michael Cheika has made five substitutions to the team that won the previous match, with four of those coming in the defensive line-up. At fullback, Juan Cruz Malla takes over for the always excellent Emiliano Boffelli, and Juan Imhoff takes over for Rodrigo Isgro on the wing. Juan Imhoff also takes up duties on the wing. Santiago Chocobares replaces Jerónimo de la Fuente at inside center, while Lautaro Bazán moves up to scrum-half and Gonzalo Bertranou is moved to the bench. Both of these changes were made because Jerónimo de la Fuente was removed from the team. In the forwards, Lucas Paulos moves up from the bench to start at lock, and Joel Sclavi, the prop, is added to the squad as a replacement after making his way into the game.

The gap between the two teams is simply too wide to ignore, and despite the fact that South Africa is widely favored in this matchup, I do not believe they will have an easy time of it. When I consider how things turned out for both teams over the last weekend, it is clear that we are in for another match that will be decided by a narrow margin. As a result, a wager on the over seems like a smart alternative to consider. Also, despite the fact that I do not believe that Argentina are significant underdogs in this match, I do not get the impression that they are entirely lost despite the results of their previous two matches. As a result of this, I am confident that they will succeed in closing the spread here.