Rassie Erasmus has confirmed that just two of the current Springboks squad members will not be available to face Argentina next weekend in Buenos Aires.
The clash against Los Pumas will be a crucial fixture for South Africa ahead of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series against the All Blacks in August and September.
Several players will be returning from injury, and the clash provides the opportunity for many of those stars to get some game time, with Erasmus recalling 10 players to his squad after the Nations Championship matches.
While 43 players were initially named in the squad, Ntuthuko Mchunu’s recall meant that number grew by one, and the latest injury update explains the Stormers loosehead’s inclusion, with the head coach confirming that star prop Ox Nche won’t be available for the one-off match against Argentina.
Double injury blow for the Springboks
Nche is one of just two players who have not been cleared to face Los Pumas and is joined on the sidelines by double World Cup-winning lock Franco Mostert. With Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager fit-again and with fellow second-rowers and utility forwards Ruan Nortje, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Vincent Tshituka, Ben-Jason Dixon, Cobus Wiese and Elrigh Louw also in the squad, there was no need for Erasmus to add further second-rower cover for Mostert.
Erasmus also revealed that many of the Springboks who didn’t feature in the Nations Championship fixtures in July or sustained injuries in that period are likely to feature in the clash against Los Pumas next weekend.
“There are only two guys who won’t be available due to longer-term injuries, and they are Ox Nche and Franco Mostert,” said Erasmus.
“Apart from them, everyone is ready to play. I wouldn’t say it is ideal (that they are all returning from injury now). We would have liked the guys not to be injured and to have been able to manage their time right from the start.
“The same applied to André (Esterhuizen), Eben (Etzebeth), Wilco (Louw) and Sacha (Feinberg-Mngomezulu), but this game is a really good opportunity.
“Argentina are a quality team, and you’ll quickly see who is ready to play against New Zealand two weeks later. That said, this match wasn’t planned with that reason in mind – it was always about honouring our relationship with Argentina, but yes, most of those guys will be involved.”
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The Bok squad assembled in Johannesburg on Sunday and had two days of training, with Wednesday being an off day before they wrapped up their on-field preparations on Thursday. The group will then return home for a few days, while the squad travelling to Argentina – which will be announced on Saturday – will travel to South America in two different groups that day.
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The remainder of the players will return to their training base in Johannesburg to begin their preparations for the four-Test series against the All Blacks, SA Rugby confirmed.
“First and foremost, we want to beat Argentina – just like every other team, we want to win every Test match we play,” Erasmus added.
“Then there’s the bigger picture, the Rugby World Cup, which is close to a year away, but you also have to respect the team you play next week.”