Five big-name Springboks return in 26-man squad for Argentina

Five big-name Springboks have all been included in a 26-man South Africa squad for next weekend’s Test against Argentina in Buenos Aires after recovering from injury.

Rassie Erasmus named a group featuring a number of returning players as the Springboks prepare for their one-off clash against Los Pumas on August 8, with captain Siya Kolisi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth and Morne van den Berg all return to the play after various amounts of time on the sidelines.

Several senior players, including Cheslin Kolbe, Damian Willemse, Jesse Kriel and Ruan Nortje, will remain in South Africa and reassemble in Johannesburg on Sunday ahead of preparations for the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour against New Zealand.

“We tried to get the balance right between giving some guys who are returning from injury and who have not had too much game time in our last four matches a valuable run against Argentina, while at the same time managing the players who have played a lot of rugby this year,” said Erasmus.

“The guys who have recovered from their injuries have been training hard this week and are ready to go, so it will be great for them to get a tough Test match under the belt before we face New Zealand.”

Fixture

Internationals

Argentina

12:00

8 Aug 26

South Africa

All Stats and Data

The Springbok coach said workload management had also played a key role in selecting the touring squad.

“Several players, meanwhile, have been performing for us week in and week out, so it was important that we manage their workload, while players such as Ox (Nche) and Franco (Mostert) are still on the road to recovery, so next week’s training camp will be useful for them to continue to put in the hard yards and for the injured players to continue their rehabilitation.”

Erasmus expects a stern examination from Felipe Contepomi’s side, who have consistently pushed the Springboks in recent seasons.

“Argentina are a quality outfit and we know we will be in for a massive challenge in Buenos Aires, so we are preparing for a physical and gruelling battle over there.

“They are a well-coached team, who have tested us in the last few years, while they have also been competitive in the Nations Championship, so it will be a good test for us as a team.”

Reflecting on the Springboks’ training camp, which concluded on Thursday, Erasmus said the squad had laid solid foundations ahead of the trip to South America.

“We had a series of productive sessions throughout the week, and all the players know what we expect of them, so everyone understands the importance of building on our season.”

26-man Springboks squad for Argentina:

Forwards: Lood de Jager, Ben-Jason Dixon, Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Johan Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom, Siya Kolisi, Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw, Zachary Porthen, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Boan Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese

Backs: Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Quan Horn, Herchel Jantjies, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Morne van den Berg, Edwill van der Merwe