Rugby Championship wide open as Erasmus names Springbok squad for Argentina clashes
With all four teams still in contention, the Rugby Championship will go down to the wire. Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has named his 33-man squad for the final two clashes against Argentina, knowing every point could decide the title.
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The Castle Lager Rugby Championship is finely balanced, with all four nations still capable of taking the title. For the Springboks, that means mounting pressure heading into their final two matches against Argentina.
Standings on a knife-edge
The Wallabies lead the log with 11 points after four games, followed closely by the Springboks and All Blacks on 10 points, and the Pumas just behind on nine. Each team has won two matches, setting up a high-stakes finish with no room for error.
“The next two games are going to be vital for all four teams because there is so little between them in terms of the way they play, and given how close the standings are. Any team can still win the competition, so there is no margin for error, and every point will count,” said Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus. “These are going to be massive battles.”
Erasmus names his squad
Erasmus on Wednesday confirmed a 33-man group, retaining most of the players who recently lifted the Freedom Cup in New Zealand. The squad includes 18 forwards and 15 backs.
They will assemble in Durban on Thursday after a short break with their families, before beginning preparations for the clash at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday, September 27. The return fixture is scheduled for October 4 at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
The coach revealed that following medical checks in camp, up to three more players could be drafted in later this week, with around 30 set to travel to London.
Injuries force changes
Several regulars remain unavailable. Lood de Jager, Jean-Luc du Preez and Aphelele Fassi were all injured during the New Zealand tour, while Gerhard Steenekamp, Frans Malherbe, Salmaan Moerat and Kurt-Lee Arendse are also sidelined.
Erasmus said the constant squad rotation this season has prepared the group for the challenges ahead.
“We’ve chopped and changed our squad a fair bit this season, playing a total of 46 players in our last eight matches, including in the Barbarians match, and by training together almost daily, we are confident that these are the players who can give us the best shot to try to retain the title,” he said.
“The fact that the younger and older guys have been training with one another and against one another on the field almost daily really paid off last weekend, and we have no doubt that if we continue showing our faith in these players, we will get the best out of them.”
Pumas a formidable threat
Argentina head into the fixtures on a high, having beaten Australia 28-26 in Sydney to climb to sixth in the world rankings.
“The Pumas are a tough and physical outfit, and they’ll come to South Africa full of confidence after beating Australia last weekend and knowing that they beat us in Santiago Del Estero last year, as well as the All Blacks earlier in the competition,” Erasmus said.
“They have quality forwards and backs, and they play with guts and passion, so we know it will take two great performances to beat them and hopefully reclaim the Castle Lager Rugby Championship title.”
Springbok squad for the Argentina leg of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship:
Forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit, Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Ruan Nortje, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Marnus van der Merwe, Marco van Staden, Boan Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Jasper Wiese.
Backs: Damian de Allende, Faf de Klerk, Andre Esterhuizen, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Manie Libbok, Makazole Mapimpi, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Morne van den Berg, Damian Willemse, Grant Williams.