Springboks prioritise Argentina ahead of All Blacks series

The encouraging injury update means a number of experienced players are back in contention after recovering from recent setbacks.

Among those expected to benefit from valuable game time are captain Siya Kolisi, lock pairing Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager, as well as flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, all of whom are working their way back to full match fitness. Erasmus insisted the immediate focus remains on producing a strong performance against Los Pumas, while acknowledging that the encounter will also help shape selection decisions ahead of the four-Test Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand.

"There's only two guys that won't be available, besides the long term injuries to Kwagga [Smith] and RG [Snyman] and so on. But guys that we thought will return this year It's only Ox [Nche] and Franco Mostert that's not available for next weeks game apart from that everybody is. Canan [Moodie] and Sacha [Fienberg-Mngomezulu], Eben [Etzebeth], Lood [de Jager] and Morne [Van den Berg] everyone is ready," said Erasmus

READ: Erasmus confident workload management will keep the Boks at their best against New Zealand

Although attention has already shifted to New Zealand following the announcement of the All Blacks’ touring squad, Erasmus was quick to steer the conversation back to the task at hand. He said there would be enough time to analyse the All Blacks in detail once the Springboks have completed their assignment in Argentina.

The Bok coach added that squad planning for the New Zealand series will only become clearer after next week’s Test, with the current priority firmly fixed on opening their Rugby Championship campaign positively away from home.

Erasmus confirmed the touring squad for Argentina will be announced on Saturday, with the travelling party expected to consist of 26 players. The group will depart for South America in two batches, while the remaining players stay in Johannesburg to continue preparing for the demanding four-Test series against New Zealand.

Despite growing excitement around the All Blacks fixtures, Erasmus warned against overlooking Argentina, pointing out that Los Pumas have consistently challenged the world’s leading nations and require the Springboks’ full attention.