Fourie Du Preez (right): Back in Boks fold

The Japan-based scrum-half, who last played for the Springboks in the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, is one of four changes to the squad named for Saturday's Rugby Championship opener against Argentina in Soweto.

Du Preez, 31, starts on the bench, along with France-based Gurthro Steenkamp and there are two changes to the team which started the Boks' last match against Samoa in June.

Juandre Kruger comes in at lock for Flip van der Merwe and fit-again Duane Vermeulen replaces the injured Pierre Spies No 8.

Fly-half Morne Steyn and wing Bryan Habana retained their starting places despite recently joining French clubs.

The pre-match speculation had been about the identity of the starting hooker and scrum-half. But Meyer has stuck with the incumbents, Ruan Pienaar and Adrian Strauss.

Continuity

Meyer said: "Continuity has been the key for us this year and that is why we have opted not to make too many changes.

"It is great to have Duane back while Juandre has been doing great work in the line-outs all season long.

"To have someone of the calibre of lock Flip van der Merwe on the bench, next to the experience Fourie and Gurthro bring, is a great situation to be in.

"We have done the hard work on the training pitch - now we have to put into practice what we have been working on."

Team: 15-W le Roux; 14-B Basson, 13-JJ Engelbrecht, 12-J de Villiers (capt), 11-B Habana, 10-M Steyn, 9-R Pienaar; 1-T Mtawarira, 2-A Strauss, 3-J du Plessis, 4-E Etzebeth, 5-J Kruger, 6-F Louw, 7-W Alberts, 8 D Vermeulen

Replacements: B du Plessis, G Steenkamp, C Oosthuizen, F van der Merwe, S Kolisi, F du Preez, P Lambie, J Serfontein