Battle-hardened Boks ready for All Blacks epic
OPINION: Rassie Erasmus received some valuable answers in Argentina, and the greater Springbok squad will go into the Greatest Rivalry Tests with confidence as well as game minutes, writes Jon Cardinelli.
The reaction to the Boks’ 17-10 win in Buenos Aires this past Saturday has been mixed.
Most expected the Boks to beat an understrength Argentina side by 15 to 20 points, but on the day, a spirited Pumas side pushed the world champions close.
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Indeed, the hosts may have snatched a late draw, if not for an untimely knock-on by Matias Moroni deep in South African territory.
There’s something to be said for the Bok defence, which limited a potent Pumas attack to 10 points over the course of the contest and completed a second-half shut out.
The attack and kicking game lacked accuracy, though, and the set piece didn’t yield the desired rewards.
It was a dogfight from start to finish, and some of the leading players returning from injury struggled to get out of first gear.
In the wake of that performance, some fans and critics are saying that the Boks will go into the four-Test series against the All Blacks underdone, and that their game plan will be exposed.
Erasmus, by contrast, may be struggling to contain his delight.
The dogfight in Buenos Aires was exactly what the Boks needed on the eve of the Greatest Rivalry series.
ETZEBETH THE STANDOUT
Apart from skipper Siya Kolisi – who was forced from the field with a hamstring injury in the 24th minute – returning players like Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Morné van den Berg enjoyed a decent run with the Test side for the first time this season.
Etzebeth was the standout among the senior players, and Erasmus paid the 34-year-old the ultimate compliment when he declared that “the old Eben” is back.
The match in Buenos Aires marked the end of the Boks’ preparations for the Greatest Rivalry series – at least as far as game time is concerned.
While Erasmus will be thrilled with the victory and the fact that his side has won 12 Tests in a row, there are other numbers to consider in the context of a Greatest Rivalry series that will span four-consecutive Tests.
Thanks to the smart management of the wider group, the Boks are well-placed to maintain a high standard across those matches.
Over the past seven weeks, Erasmus has used 71 players across the games against the Barbarians, Zimbabwe, England, Scotland, Wales and Argentina.
Five players – Paul de Villiers, Jaco Williams, Vusi Moyo, Ruben van Heerden and Carlü Sadie – have made their respective Test debuts already, while a further 17 have been introduced via the Barbarians or South Africa ‘A’.
Erasmus has always preached about balance in selection, and it’s been interesting to note how he has managed the more established players in recent weeks in an attempt to prepare the team for the ultimate challenge against the All Blacks.
The management of the senior statesmen – some who have played a lot of rugby and others who are returning from lengthy layoffs – has been particularly noteworthy.
No front-ranker has played more than 140 minutes during this period.
First-choice hooker Malcolm Marx has been used sparingly, on the back of a long and taxing season for the Boks and his club Kubota Spears in Japan.
Tighthead Wilco Louw has been given some time to rest after enduring a similar workload for the Boks and Bulls – and could feature prominently against the All Blacks.
The same applies to Thomas du Toit, who played 31 games for Bath and South Africa last season, and has played less than 100 minutes in recent weeks.
On the other end of the spectrum, Etzebeth, De Jager and Pieter-Steph du Toit came into the Test season needing game time, after missing most of the club season due to suspensions and injuries.
Du Toit played 70 minutes against the Barbarians, before going the distance across the three Nations Championship Tests.
Etzebeth and De Jager didn’t feature in the warm-ups or the Nations Championship Tests, and the game against Argentina was viewed as a last chance to prove their fitness, with a view to the series against the All Blacks.
Etzebeth went the distance in Buenos Aires, while De Jager put in a 49-minute shift.
While Erasmus was pleased with De Jager’s contribution, it may be a couple of weeks yet before the lock can go the full 80.
Fortunately, the Boks have an outstanding No.5 option in Ruan Nortjé, who started against England and Scotland.
Franco Mostert played 56 minutes against the Barbarians in June, and given the recent injury concerns, there may be a question mark over his readiness for the All Blacks.
Much has been said about the contributions of De Villiers and Cameron Hanekom in recent weeks, and rightly so.
The youngsters will be needed in the coming series, but the other more established loose forwards will have key roles to play across four gruelling matches.
After missing the 2025 Test season, Elrigh Louw has made appearances against Scotland and Argentina and appears ready for the next challenge.
While Erasmus has played down the concern around Kolisi, the skipper is one of the few players who hasn’t enjoyed a decent run in this block.
The openside has played a handful of club games since the beginning of 2026, and has only racked up 70 minutes in total for South Africa across the matches against the Barbarians and Argentina.
Erasmus will want his captain fit and firing before the Greatest Rivalry Test series opener in Johannesburg next Saturday.
The coach may take heart from the fact that Kolisi was one of the few Boks who played five consecutive Tests on the tour to Europe last November.
Continues below…
Another All Black’s tour cut shorthttps://t.co/XSFSXUg3xY
— Rugby365 (@rugby365com) August 9, 2026
SACHA QUESTION LOOMS LARGE
Erasmus has used nine different scrumhalf options in recent weeks, although it’s likely that Cobus Reinach, Grant Williams and Van den Berg will share the workload in the series against the All Blacks.
Erasmus did give Faf de Klerk a run against the Barbarians, and the veteran has produced several match-winning displays for the Cheetahs in the Currie Cup since then.
If Reinach succumbs to injury in the coming weeks, Erasmus may look to replace a veteran with a veteran, and bring De Klerk into the mix.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu has copped some criticism for his performance against Argentina, in spite of his recent struggles with an ankle injury.
When Feinberg-Mngomezulu sustained the injury in the United Rugby Championship quarterfinal against Cardiff on May 30, it was feared that he might miss the Greatest Rivalry series altogether.
Fast forward to the present, where the youngster has fought his way back to feature against Argentina, and to provide Erasmus with another flyhalf option.
The big question, of course, is what the performance against the Pumas revealed about his readiness for the matches to come.
Should Erasmus give Feinberg-Mngomezulu the No.10 jersey from the outset, or should he manage the player more carefully – possibly as a sub – in the first two or three games against the All Blacks?
The Boks have a couple of outstanding flyhalf options in Manie Libbok and Handré Pollard – and both have been used sparingly in the past few weeks, with two appearances apiece.
Jesse Kriel has played more than 300 minutes, but was rested for the recent trip to Argentina.
Damian de Allende has been used more conservatively, with two appearances against England and Wales – but may be started in tandem with Kriel in two or more games against the All Blacks.
André Esterhuizen has been hampered by niggles in recent weeks, and as a result, the Boks haven’t really had a chance to persist with the hybrid strategy that was so effective in 2025.
Perhaps we will see more of this strategy in the games against the All Blacks, with Esterhuizen featuring from the bench.
Quan Horn was a surprise pick at No.10 in the matches against the Barbarians and Scotland, and may yet be deployed as a utility back from the bench against the All Blacks.
BACK-THREE JUGGLE
Erasmus has juggled his back-three players well in recent months, with Aphelele Fassi starting three Tests and Damian Willemse moving between No.15 and 12 across the Nations Championship.
Cheslin Kolbe played 28 matches and more than 2000 minutes for club and country last season, and has been managed carefully in recent weeks.
That said, Kolbe made some telling contributions with ball and hand and from the kicking tee, against the Barbarians and England.
The present schedule continues to compromise player welfare – especially for top players in Argentina and South Africa, who are forced to compete year-round.
Erasmus is certainly not happy about the situation – and reiterated his stance this past week, calling for a more streamlined global calendar.
Nevertheless, Erasmus and his coaches continue to rise to the challenge of managing the leading players, ensuring that those returning from injuries receive a run and that others are rested.
Overall, the Boks have struck a fine balance between rest and game time in recent matches.
As a result, they will go into the Tests against the All Blacks with a squad that is match-ready and in no danger of burning out.
Erasmus ready to end Springboks rotation as All Blacks series loomshttps://t.co/srYuwu8Ndl
— Rugby365 (@rugby365com) August 9, 2026
