Junior Boks change up for Argentina encounter

There are five changes to the run-on Junior Springbok side to take on Argentina in their second match at the World Rugby U20 Championship on Thursday.

Two changes in the backline see the inclusion of Bruce Sherwood (fullback) and Phillip-Albert van Niekerk (inside centre) in place of Michail Damon, who will sit out this clash, and Josh Boulle, who has been included on the bench.

The #JuniorBoks team to face Argentina in Stellenbosch on Thursday show a few tweaks from the side that beat Fiji on Saturday - more here: https://t.co/9pfPFg9F0E ?#JourneyToGreatness #WorldRugbyU20s pic.twitter.com/SFL3qS6921

In the forwards, Thabang Mphafi moves from the No 7 flanker to the other side of the scrum to play in the No 6 jersey, where he replaces Sibabalwe Mahashe, who in turn moves to the replacement bench.

At lock, Jaco Grobbelaar will make his debut in place of Bathobele Hlekani, who moves to flank.

Junior Bok coach Bafana Nhleko has opted for a split of six forwards and two backs on the bench in anticipation of a huge battle up front with the powerful Argentine pack.

"When we faced them two months ago in Australia, as well as during a strong first-half showing against England on Saturday (in Athlone), Argentina displayed their impressive forward power, so we have to be prepared to deal with that," said Nhleko.

Nhleko explained the variations to the match 23: "Whilst we wanted to keep the spine of the team intact, we must manage the load of the players sensibly because this is a demanding tournament due to the short turnaround time between matches and being adaptable in different circumstances.

"I am pleased for Jaco, who missed the Australian tour with injury, and his selection, coupled with the other tweaks, are part of the process