Rassie Erasmus says the Springboks are looking to wrap up The Rugby Championship title in a ‘gruelling’ clash with Argentina next weekend, despite resting several players for the trip to Santiago.
Erasmus opted to rest seven players who have had a heavy workload in the last few months with an eye on the final round of the competition in Mbombela against Argentina on September 28.
The seven players who will not travel to Argentina are Bongi Mbonambi (hooker), Frans Malherbe (prop), Pieter-Steph du Toit (loose forward), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (flyhalf), Damian de Allende (centre), Cheslin Kolbe (wing), and Willie le Roux (fullback).
With the Boks in pole position to snap up the Castle Lager Rugby Championship title, Erasmus said their main objective was to win the match in Argentina, although he was wary of the threat the hosts posed.
“We know how gruelling it’s going to be over there and that it will take a massive effort to beat Argentina at home,” said Erasmus.
“But as we’ve shown all season, we have full faith in all the players in our wider group and we believe that we have such a wealth of squad depth that any young player can step in and fill the boots of the more experienced players.
“Although it will be tough, we want to see what these players can do in such a pressure-cooker of a game, and we are going there with the goal of winning the competition. This squad boasts a good mix of youth and experience, which we feel will bode well for the tour.”
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The Springboks currently lead the Castle Lager Rugby Championship standings with 18 points with four victories in as many games, while Argentina are on 10 points, followed by New Zealand (seven) and Australia (four). This means South Africa only need three more log points from their two remaining matches to guarantee their first title since 2019.
Should they achieve this feat it would wrap up a magnificent tournament for the team, after winning the Mandela Challenge Plate against Australia and the Freedom Cup against New Zealand.
“We have been open about our policy to try to give as many players in our wider squad as possible a chance to play against the top teams in the world,” said Erasmus. “We believe playing against Argentina in Santiago, where we are expecting a massive encounter in front of a hostile crowd, will serve as a great test for this group of players.
“The players we decided to rest have really done their bit this season and their bodies deserve a break, so we thought the best for them would be to enjoy a break and spend time with their families before joining us in Nelspruit.
“All of the players in the 28-man squad have been in the set-up this year and have proved their worth, so we are delighted to give them an opportunity to face Argentina on their home ground.
“Argentina proved last week what a force they can be at home by defeating the Wallabies by 67-27 in Santa Fe, so we know how tough the match will be against them, and this is exactly what we want our players to experience as we continue to build the group for the 2027 [Rugby] World Cup in Australia.”
Erasmus named only two specialist hookers in the squad in Johan Grobbelaar and Malcolm Marx, while Lukhanyo Am and Jesse Kriel are the only two specialist centres, but he said while Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Marco van Staden could provide cover at hooker, Canan Moodie, who has played in the midfield for the Boks, could provide cover at centre, wing, and fullback.
“This is a short tour, and we are confident that we have sufficient cover in all the positions within this group,” said Erasmus.
“Some players, such as Johan Grobbelaar, Manie Libbok, Jaden Hendrikse, and Canan Moodie – to name a few – will benefit immensely from more game time at this level, while other players such as Aphelele Fassi and Ben-Jason Dixon for example grabbed their chances with both hands this season and we are excited to see them back in action.”
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