Siya Kolisi returns as Rassie names Springboks squad to travel to Argentina

Kolisi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth and scrum-half Morne van den Berg have all been included after recovering from injury.

The Springboks will face Los Pumas in a one-off Test at 21:00 UK time on Saturday, August 8, with Erasmus using the fixture to give several returning players valuable game time ahead of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour against New Zealand.

The squad will travel to South America in two groups on Saturday, while several players involved in the Springboks’ opening four matches of the season will remain in South Africa to manage their workloads.

Cheslin Kolbe, Damian Willemse, Jesse Kriel and Ruan Nortje are among those set to reassemble at the team’s Johannesburg training base on Sunday to begin preparations for the upcoming New Zealand Tests.

Erasmus said the squad selection was designed to balance the need to bring injured players back into the international fold while also managing those who have played significant amounts of rugby in recent weeks.

“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 the belt 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, so next week’s training camp will be useful for them to continue to put in the hard yards and for the injured players to continue their rehabilitation.”

The return of Kolisi, Etzebeth and De Jager will provide a major boost to the Springbok pack, while Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s inclusion gives the world champions another key playmaking option ahead of the New Zealand tour.

Erasmus expects a demanding encounter against an Argentina side that has proved a difficult opponent for South Africa in recent seasons.

“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, who have tested us in 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.”

The Springboks concluded a week-long training camp on Thursday, with Erasmus pleased by the work completed as the squad look to build momentum during the international season.

“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 UK time on Saturday, August 8 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport in South Africa.

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

Andre Esterhuizen
Aphelele Fassi
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
Ethan Hooker
Quan Horn
Herschel Jantjies
Canan Moodie
Handre Pollard
Cobus Reinach
Morne van den Berg
Edwill van der Merwe