“The Pumas are a very difficult team to play at home and they will be fired up for this one in front of their passionate crowd in Salta,” said Erasmus.

Regarding the tweaked front row of Tendai Mtawarira, Bongi Mbonambi and Trevor Nyakane, Erasmus said: “This Test is a good opportunity for Bongi and Trevor to start next to ‘Beast’, who has a wealth of experience from playing more than 100 Tests for the Springboks.

“We all know about the massively difficult forward threat of Argentina, however, they are a clever side with skill and pace out wide so we will have to be alert on defence right until the final whistle,” said Erasmus.

The two teams are due to meet each other again next week again in Pretoria in what will be the Springboks’ final home Test before the announcement of the official Rugby World Cup squad on Monday, 26 August.

South Africa and Argentina have played three times before in Salta. The first Test, in 2014, was won 33-31 by the Springboks, while the Pumas won the second encounter at the Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena in 2016, also by two points (26-24).

The last encounter between the two countries in Salta was in 2017, when Eben Etzebeth’s team, playing in a special edition red jersey, triumphed by a winning margin of 18 points (41-23), which was also the Boks’ biggest Castle Lager Rugby Championship victory in Argentina.