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Six Nations 2026 Awards - and our Team of the Tournament
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'We all feel deeply for Franco': Boks call up replacement for Mostert
By Ian Cameron
Experienced lock Lood de Jager will link up with the Springboks in London on Monday as cover for Franco Mostert, who remained in South Africa following a family bereavement.
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De Jager, who picked up a niggle in the record 43-10 win over the All Blacks in Wellington, has been passed fit and is available for selection ahead of Saturday’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship decider against Argentina at Twickenham.
The Springboks departed for the UK on Sunday night and arrived in London early on Monday morning. South Africa lead the standings by a single point over New Zealand, with the Wallabies in third on 11 points and Argentina bottom on nine.
The squad will have a recovery day on Monday before beginning preparations for Saturday’s title clash.
“The journey to London was good, and with it being an overnight flight, the players rested well on the plane and look fresh and ready to get back into the swing of things tomorrow,” said Rassie Erasmus.
“Fortunately, the time zone is similar to South Africa, so the players can jump straight back into action without any challenges. We’ll obviously manage them carefully this week to ensure we get the best out of them on the field on Saturday.”
Erasmus added: “This is a massive game, and we have no doubt Argentina will come out guns blazing to finish their campaign on a high note, but at the same time, we have a chance to win the competition back-to-back for the first time in history, so we have all the motivation we need this week.”
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Commenting on De Jager’s return, Erasmus said: “We all feel deeply for Franco and wish him strength during this challenging time, and we’ll support him as well as we can.
“Fortunately, Lood has recovered from his injury, and his experience and leadership will be valuable in such an important week for the team.”
Erasmus will confirm his matchday 23 on Tuesday.
