Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus adopted a strategic approach for the next leg of the international season by naming a group of 43 players who will gather in Johannesburg on Sunday to begin their preparations for the Test against Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday, 8 August, and the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand, while releasing five players for their franchise matches against the All Blacks.
A total of 10 seasoned Springboks will make a welcome return from injuries which have sidelined them for a variety of periods, namely Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager (both locks), Franco Mostert (utility forward), Siya Kolisi (loose forward), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Handre Pollard (both flyhalves), Ethan Hooker, Canan Moodie (both utility backs), Andre Esterhuizen (flanker and centre), and Morne van den Berg (scrumhalf).
The five players who will be released to their franchises to face the All Blacks in the midweek matches of the inaugural Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series are Ntuthuko Mchunu (prop), Evan Roos (No 8), Andre-Hugo Venter (hooker), Embrose Papier (scrumhalf), and Jaco Williams (wing).
Ruben van Heerden (lock), who made his Test debut against Wales last Saturday, 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 DHL Stormers to Montpellier, as he finds his feet with his new French club. He will, however, remain on standby for the team.
“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.”
Erasmus was wary of the challenge Argentina posed, given the fact that the teams have met annually in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, while the Pumas also had 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 the match.
The Springboks will face the All Blacks in four RGR Tests – at Ellis Park in Johannesburg (22 August), the DHL Stadium in Cape Town (29 August), FNB Stadium in Johannesburg (5 September), and the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, USA (12 September).
Springbok squad to gather in Johannesburg on Sunday:
Props: Thomas du Toit (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Wilco Louw (DHL Stormers), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Zachary Porthen (DHL Stormers), Carlu Sadie (Bordeaux Begles), Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls), Boan Venter (Fidelity Securedrive Lions).
Hookers: Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears).
Locks: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears).
Loose forwards: Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon (both DHL Stormers), Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls), Siya Kolisi (DHL Stormers), Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).
Utility forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese (all Vodacom Bulls).
Scrumhalves: Herschel Jantjies (Bayonne), Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers), Morne van den Berg (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Grant Williams (Kobe Steelers).
Flyhalves: Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Vusi Moyo (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls).
Centres: Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles).
Outside and utility backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Mitsubishi Dynaboars), Aphelele Fassi (Toshiba), Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Quan Horn (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Cheslin Kolbe (DHL Stormers), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls), Edwill van der Merwe (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers).
Players released to play for their franchises in RGR:
Forwards: Ntuthuko Mchunu, Evan Roos, Andre-Hugo Venter (all DHL Stormers).
Backs: Jaco Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Embrose Papier (Vodacom Bulls).
Standby: Ruben van Heerden (Montpellier).
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