Etzebeth, Feinberg-Mngomezulu return for Tests against Pumas and All Blacks
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has named a group of 43 players for the Test against Argentina in Buenos Aires and the series against New Zealand.
The players will gather in Johannesburg on Sunday to begin their preparations for the Test against Argentina.
A total of 10 seasoned Springboks will return from injuries which have sidelined them for a variety of periods, namely locks Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, utility forward Franco Mostert, loose forward Siya Kolisi, flyhalves Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Handre Pollard, utility backs Ethan Hooker and Canan Moodie, flanker and centre Andre Esterhuizen, as well as scrumhalf Morne van den Berg.
“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 Rugby’s Greatest Rivarly series (against New Zealand), 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.”
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Erasmus was wary of the challenge Argentina posed, given that the teams had met annually in the Rugby Championship, and the Pumas had 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 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.
