Springbok Squad To Face Argentina: Kolisi, Etzebeth And de Jager Return from Injury

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth and Morne van den Berg will make welcome returns from injury when national coach Rassie Erasmus and his squad travel to Argentina on Saturday for their one-off Test against Los Pumas in Buenos Aires on Saturday, 8 August.

Erasmus named a 26-man touring squad for the clash, which includes several players returning from injury, as well as others who have had lighter workloads over the past few weeks. The squad will travel to South America in two groups on Saturday.

Several players who featured in the Springboks’ opening four matches of the season, including Cheslin Kolbe, Damian Willemse, Jesse Kriel and Ruan Nortje, will instead reassemble at the team’s training base in Johannesburg on Sunday to begin preparations for the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) 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 their belts before we face New Zealand.

“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. Next week’s training camp will be useful for them to continue putting in the hard yards, while the injured players continue their rehabilitation.”

Erasmus expects another stern examination from Argentina.

“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 that have tested us over 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 afternoon, Erasmus was pleased with the week’s work.

“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.”

The match will kick off at 21:00 on Saturday, 8 August, and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Springbok touring squad to Argentina (alphabetical order):

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, Herschel Jantjies, Canan Moodie, Handré Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Morne van den Berg and Edwill van der Merwe.