Nienaber backs Bok flyhalf depth: 'Frans Steyn is Damian Willemse with 70 more caps'

In Durban

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber is confident that veteran utility back Frans Steyn can cope with whatever is thrown at him in the Rugby Championship clash against Argentina at Kings Park on Saturday.

The game will most probably decide the outcome of the tournament after Australia and New Zealand meet on Saturday morning in Auckland.

That Steyn, who made his debut in 2006 and has played in every backline position except scrumhalf, is at 10 in a Test match for the first time in 14 years has led to questions as to how Nienaber has blooded players in the key position.

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In the Test season, home and away, Nienaber has rifled through Handre Pollard, Elton Jantjies, and Damian Willemse in the playmaker channel, but all are unavailable for this weekend.

Nienaber said Steyn and Willemse were similar players, with age and experience being the only difference between the two.

"Since the start of the Test season, we've been consistently questioned on who is our back-up 10 and Damian stood up in that first Test against Wales," Nienaber said.

"He's started two games at flyhalf, and he's come along nicely. One must remember that Frans Steyn is Damian Willemse, but with 70 more Test caps and more than 10 years of experience.

"Frans played a lot of his rugby here in Durban, so he knows the stadium quite well, so if there's a wet-weather game, he's a nice guy to have in the team."

The Southern Hemisphere tournament, in its current form since 2012, has been utterly dominated by New Zealand, with Australia and South Africa claiming their rare successes in the World Cup years of 2015 and 2019.

All four teams have a mathematical chance of winning the