Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has made it crystal clear that the team’s first priority this week was to prepare as well as possible for their one-off clash against Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday, but he said the game would play a crucial role in their planning for the forthcoming Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series in August and September.
“First and foremost, we want to beat Argentina – just like every other team, we want to win every Test match we play,” said Erasmus on the Saru website.
“Then there’s the bigger picture, the Rugby World Cup, which is close to a year away, but you also have to respect the team you play next week.”
According to the website, with 10 players returning from a stint on the sidelines due to injury, Erasmus gave an update on the players’ availability for next week’s match-up against Los Pumas, whom they have faced annually in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, and who are also participating in the Nations Championship.
“There are only two guys who won’t be available due to longer-term injuries, and they are Ox Nche and Franco Mostert,” said Erasmus.
“Apart from them, everyone is ready to play. I wouldn’t say it is ideal (that they are all returning from injury now). We would have liked the guys not to be injured and to have been able to manage their time right from the start. The same applied to André (Esterhuizen), Eben (Etzebeth), Wilco (Louw) and Sacha (Feinberg-Mngomezulu), but this game is a really good opportunity.
“Argentina are a quality team, and you’ll quickly see who is ready to play against New Zealand two weeks later. That said, this match wasn’t planned with that reason in mind – it was always about honouring our relationship with Argentina, but yes, most of those guys will be involved.”
When quizzed about how he planned to manage his squad going into the RGR series once the Argentina touring squad arrives back in South Africa, the Bok coach said: “The big thing is we don’t want to keep a guy with us and not use him during the All Black series. That’s why we’re giving some guys the opportunity to play for their franchises.
“But we also don’t want to release players if we’re not 100% sure we’re covered in those positions for the All Black Tests,” said Erasmus.
“So as far as we can release players without jeopardising depth, we’ll try to do so. We might also still release more players from the group if they don’t get enough game time in the Springbok Tests.” – www.saru.com
- Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus emphasized the priority of preparing for the upcoming Test match against Argentina in Buenos Aires.
- The game is crucial for assessing player readiness ahead of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series against New Zealand.
- Ten players are returning from injury, with only Ox Nche and Franco Mostert unavailable due to long-term injuries.
- Erasmus highlighted the importance of balancing player participation to maintain squad depth for both the Argentina match and the RGR series.
- Some players may be released to play for their franchises if it does not compromise team depth for the All Black Tests.
“First and foremost, we want to beat Argentina – just like every other team, we want to win every Test match we play,” said Erasmus on the Saru website.
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“Apart from them, everyone is ready to play. I wouldn’t say it is ideal (that they are all returning from injury now). We would have liked the guys not to be injured and to have been able to manage their time right from the start.
“Argentina are a quality team, and you’ll quickly see who is ready to play against New
When quizzed about how he planned to manage his squad going into the RGR series once the Argentina touring squad arrives back in
“But we also don’t want to release players if we’re not 100% sure we’re covered in those positions for the All Black Tests,” said Erasmus.
“So as far as we can release players without jeopardising depth, we’ll try to do so. We might also still release more players from the group if they don’t get enough game time in the
