Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has named a squad of 43 players for their upcoming Test against Argentina and the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series against the All Blacks.
After winning all three of their recent Nations Championship Tests against England, Scotland and Wales, focus now turns to their clash with Los Pumas in Buenos Aires on August 8 and New Zealand’s eagerly anticipated tour to South Africa.
Erasmus has recalled 10 experienced Springboks who are set to return to action after spending time on the sidelines due to various injuries. They are: Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager (both locks), Franco Mostert (utility forward), Siya Kolisi (loose forward), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Handre Pollard (both fly-halves), Ethan Hooker, Canan Moodie (both utility backs), Andre Esterhuizen (hybrid player), and Morne van den Berg (scrum-half).
Five players released to their franchises
The Boks boss has also released five players to their franchises for matches against the All Blacks. They are: Stormers trio Ntuthuko Mchunu (prop), Evan Roos (number eight), Andre-Hugo Venter (hooker), Bulls scrum-half Embrose Papier and Sharks wing Jaco Williams.
Meanwhile, Ruben van Heerden (lock), who made his debut for South Africa in last Saturday’s 43-0 win over Wales, is the only player in the squad for the opening leg of the Nations Championship who was omitted from the two groups after making the move from the Stormers to Montpellier, as he settles in at his new club.
Van Heerden will, however, remain on standby for the Boks.
“We put a lot of thought into how we will manage the entire group of players to give everyone a chance to stake a claim for places in the squad for the RGR series, and we decided that splitting the squad into two groups will be best for the Springbok team and the players to play their way into the squad,” said Erasmus.
“Some players are returning from injury and need some valuable game time, so depending on how they progress from their injuries during next week’s training camp, we will decide who we will take to Argentina, while the other guys in the 43-man squad will remain behind in Johannesburg with a group of coaches and management to begin preparing for the Tests against New Zealand.
“The players released to their franchises, meanwhile, will also have an opportunity to face the All Blacks in their respective midweek games if they are selected, which will be invaluable for them once we decide on the final squad for RGR, so we see this as a win-win situation for the team and players.”
Erasmus added: “We are limited in the number of players we can take to Argentina, so it makes sense to give everyone a fair chance to compete for spots in the RGR squad, and some of the players who will train in Johannesburg will be in the final stages of their recovery from injuries, which will allow them to do so under the supervision of our medical team.
“Then there are other players who have played a lot of rugby this year and for us during the Nations Championship and need a match off to allow their bodies to recover.”
The Boks mentor is wary of the challenge posed by Argentina, given that the teams have met regularly in the Rugby Championship, and that Los Pumas also played competitive Nations Championship Tests against Scotland and England and defeated Wales.
“They are a quality team, and they have proved that in our previous clashes,” said Erasmus. “In fact, they defeated us in Argentina the last time we faced them there in 2024, so we know how tough it is to win there, and we intend to take a quality team to Buenos Aires.”
The Springboks have the week off to spend time with their families, with the 43-man squad set to assemble at their training base in Johannesburg on Sunday.
They will train for a week before the travelling squad to Argentina departs for Buenos Aires in two groups the following Sunday and Monday to continue their on-field preparations for that fixture.
The Springboks will face the All Blacks in four RGR Tests – at Ellis Park in Johannesburg (August 22), the DHL Stadium in Cape Town (August 29), FNB Stadium in Johannesburg (September 5), and the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, USA (September 12).
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
Springboks squad for Argentina Test and Greatest Rivalry series
Forwards: Thomas du Toit (Sharks), Wilco Louw (Stormers), Ox Nche (Sharks), Zachary Porthen (Stormers), Carlu Sadie (Bordeaux-Begles), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls), Boan Venter (Lions), Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears), Paul de Villiers (Stormers), Ben-Jason Dixon (Stormers), Cameron Hanekom (Bulls), Siya Kolisi (Stormers), Elrigh Louw (Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Vincent Tshituka (Sharks), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Bulls)
Backs: Herschel Jantjies (Bayonne), Cobus Reinach (Stormers), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Kobe Steelers), Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Vusi Moyo (Sharks), Handre Pollard ( Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Mitsubishi Dynaboars), Aphelele Fassi (Toshiba), Ethan Hooker (Sharks), Quan Horn (Lions), Cheslin Kolbe (Stormers), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Edwill van der Merwe (Sharks), Damian Willemse (Stormers)