Team Talk: Sacha, veterans must hit ground running
OPINION: Returning players will have everything to prove when the Springboks go searching for a crucial win against Argentina in Buenos Aires this Saturday.
It’s been interesting to listen to the Springbok coaches and players this past week, as they gear up for the one-off Test in Buenos Aires on Saturday, and continue to build towards the four-Test series against the All Blacks later this month.
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Deon Davids and Rassie Erasmus have reminded all and sundry that facing the Pumas in Argentina remains one of the toughest assignments in international rugby.
The coaches have cited the Boks’ 28-29 loss in Santiago del Estero in 2024 as well as the 19-32 defeat in Mendoza back in 2018 as evidence.
While these comments have been directed at the media, the coaches will have hammered the message home in training sessions staged over the past few weeks.
ACID TEST
The Greatest Rivalry series is the Boks’ most pressing priority, while they have made no secret of the fact that they are building toward the 2027 World Cup – and the opportunity to claim a third – successive title.
It’s possible, of course, that the Boks can keep these priorities in mind, while focusing on the task at hand.
Indeed, the one-off in Buenos Aires promises to be a fascinating fixture for so many reasons.
The Boks have beaten every Rugby Championship and Six Nations team away from home over the past two years – bar Argentina.
They should be desperate to make this opportunity count.
While Erasmus has attempted to steer the conversation away from the Greatest Rivalry Tests – which will commence on August 22 – the Boks’ performance in Buenos Aires will shape the narrative and selections ahead of the clashes against the All Blacks.
Two or more things can be true at the same time, and a one-off match can matter for several reasons.
In a sense, Erasmus has been forced to gamble on several players who have not played Test rugby – or, in some cases, any rugby – for several months.
The team selected for the match in Buenos Aires on Saturday is stacked with World Cup and Rugby Championship winners, yet there are questions around several players.
Will they live with the physicality of the Pumas forwards, or the intensity of the hosts’ relentless attack?
And what will that answer say about their readiness for a four-Test marathon against the All Blacks later his month?
*Also read: Sacha starts for Boks as stalwarts return for Los Pumas Test
SECOND-ROW AND BOMB SQUAD
Some are calling it a “warm-up” game, but the result and individual performances could shape the marquee series to come.
Erasmus needs to see what veterans such as Lood de Jager and Eben Etzebeth can offer, before that series against the All Blacks.
De Jager hasn’t played for the Boks since receiving a red card against France last November – although injuries have limited the Japan-based lock’s involvement for club and country for the better part of eight months.
De Jager’s skills and game intelligence have always been highly rated by the coaching staff, and with recent law tweaks leading to an increase in mauling, the veteran may prove to be one of the most influential figures in the coming Tests against the All Blacks.
The Boks have been hit by second-row injuries over the past few months, and while Ruan Nortjé is fit and firing, the No.5 can’t be expected to play 80 minutes in all four Tests against New Zealand.
In that respect, De Jager’s return is timely.
After serving a lengthy ban for foul play in the last Test of 2025, Etzebeth played one game for the Sharks, before succumbing to injury.
The most-capped player in South African rugby history was named to face England this past July, but was withdrawn hours before kickoff.
Etzebeth needs game time, and a battle against the abrasive Pumas will show whether he is ready for a heavy workload against the All Blacks – or if he needs more time to recover.
While I have described these selections as something of a gamble, it’s important to note how Erasmus has stacked his bench with forward alternatives.
Again, this shows how much respect the Bok boss has for Argentina – and why he is treating the game as far more than a warm-up exercise.
Erasmus favoured a six-two bench split – and within that dynamic, a second tight five – for much of the Boks’ successful 2019 World Cup campaign.
In more recent years, he has saved this specific formation for specific occasions, such as the two-Test series against Ireland in 2024 and a few individual clashes against the All Blacks.
This Saturday, it wouldn’t surprise to see Ben-Jason Dixon and Cobus Wiese replacing the starting locks, as Erasmus looks to manage De Jager and Etzebeth’s game minutes.
The same applies to the back row.
Siya Kolisi started for the Boks against the Barbarians in late June, but has been hampered by a hamstring problem in more recent weeks.
The Bok skipper needs a run before the Greatest Rivarly series, but he is likely to be replaced by Marco van Staden in the second half.
BRINGING SACHA UP TO SPEED
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is back in action for the first time since sustaining an ankle injury in the United Rugby Championship playoffs.
Like Etzebeth and another returnee in Morné van den Berg, the flyhalf hasn’t represented the Boks since the last Test of the 2025 season.
The Boks will need more than one flyhalf option across the Greatest Rivalry series – just as they needed Handré Pollard and Manie Libbok to share the load with Feinberg-Mngomezulu across a landmark 2025 season.
That said, Feinberg-Mngomezulu was the form No 10 in the world in 2025, and if he comes through the challenge in Buenos Aires unscathed, he may well be backed to start the first Test in Johannesburg later this month.
Erasmus has opted to start Feinberg-Mngomezulu alongside Cobus Reinach this Saturday – which in unsurprising, given that this halfback combination was favoured six times in 2025.
Clearly the Bok coach wants to give this pair a run before unleashing the combination on the All Blacks – although it should be noted that Reinach and Feinberg-Mngomezulu started in both wins against the Pumas last year.
Van den Berg is highly rated by the Bok coaches – attack coach Tony Brown in particular – but his opportunities have been limited over the past three seasons due to untimely injuries.
When the Lions scrumhalf broke down in May, it was initially feared that he would be sidelined for the rest of the season.
Fortunately Van den Berg has bounced back, and this weekend, he will have the chance to show Erasmus and Brown that he has lost none of his edge.
Another group of players will be desperate to make this opportunity count.
André Esteruizen and Canan Moodie will start in the midfield. Both played from the bench against England recently, but have been hampered by injuries in recent weeks.
Like Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Van den Berg, Ethan Hooker has recovered from a serious injury sooner than expected, and was backed to start against Scotland last month.
Hooker will start on the wing this Saturday – and if all goes to plan, he should feature against the All Blacks later this month.
While the Boks boast a number of outstanding back-three options, Erasmus is likely to rotate his wingers and fullbacks over the course of the four Tests, as the workload of the Boks’ high-tempo strategy – which also involve a fair amount of kicking and aerial contesting – takes its toll.
REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
Erasmus’ selections for the game in Buenos Aires may seen risky but – as is usually the case – they are completely necessary.
The Bok boss needs answers regarding his returning players, if he is going to back them in four gruelling Tests against the All Blacks.
At the same time, the Bok group needs to be mindful of the threat Argentina will pose – and how a loss in Buenos Aires might change the narrative on the eve of the Greatest Rivalry series.
The Boks have averaged 43 points and seven tries across the last three Tests – and if they don’t put the Pumas to the sword this weekend, some might suggest that they have failed to maintain their own high standards.
But given the number of returning players and the unique challenge of playing in Argentina, expectations should be tempered.
Indeed, if Erasmus gets some answers regarding the aforementioned players and the team manages to win – ending a three-year drought in Argentina in the process – the tour should be hailed as a resounding success.
