Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has made seven changes to his 28-man squad that he announced for the short tour to Argentina on 21 September in their penultimate Castle Lager Rugby Championship clash.
Hooker Johan Grobbelaar was recalled to the squad and is expected to cover along with Malcolm Marx and Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who can also play prop.
Erasmus said the seven players will get enough rest and are expected to be back in the return and final match of the Championship against Los Pumas on 28 September in Nelspruit.
The seven players are Bongi Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian de Allende, Cheslin Kolbe and Willie le Roux.
According to Erasmus, the seven will be placed on a specialised training programme to keep them sharp with an eye on rejoining the group in Nelspruit for the final match.
Nineteen of the 28 squad members featured either in the 2019 or 2023 tournament or both, including stalwarts like stalwarts Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth, captain Siya Kolisi, Handre Pollard and others.
“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.
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 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,” said Erasmus.
The coach has in the past said he will not send a weak squad to Argentina.
His comments come as Argentina last week beat Australia 67-27 at home and Erasmus warned that they expect a tough match.
“We know how grueling it’s going to be over there and that it will take a massive effort to beat Argentina at home.
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,” warned the coach.
Erasmus sought to assure the nation that the touring squad is strong, adding that it is a short tour, and he’s confident that they have sufficient cover in all the positions within the group.
“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,” explained the coach.
The Springboks currently lead the standings with 18 points, while Argentina are on 10 points, New Zealand seven and Australia four.
The Boks only need three more log points from their two remaining matches to guarantee their first title since 2019.
The squad assembled in Stellenbosch today to begin their preparations for the tour and will depart for Argentina on Saturday.
