Mchunu recalled as Erasmus expands Springbok squad for Argentina Test

Ntuthuko Mchunu has been handed another chance to impress at Test level after Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus added the prop to South Africa’s squad ahead of their one-off Test against Argentina and the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.

The Springboks regrouped in Johannesburg on Sunday evening following a scheduled week’s break and were back on the training field on Monday. Mchunu will link up with the group there after most recently featuring against Scotland in the Nations Championship earlier this month, when he earned his fourth Test cap.

Mchunu’s call-up takes the current training squad in Johannesburg to 44 players as Erasmus fine-tunes his plans for the Boks’ return to international action.

Argentina tour plans

Erasmus is expected to confirm later this week which players will travel to Buenos Aires for the clash with Argentina on Saturday, 8 August.

The touring party of players and management will leave South Africa in two groups on Saturday as the world champions begin another demanding block of fixtures.

Those not selected for the Argentina trip will remain in Johannesburg, where they will continue preparations for the upcoming matches against New Zealand.

Focus shifts to All Blacks

Players staying behind will work under a dedicated group of coaches, medical staff and management at the team’s training base in Johannesburg, with attention turning to the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks.

The split-squad approach allows Erasmus to build depth and maintain momentum in both fronts of the Springboks’ Test schedule, with Mchunu now back in contention for involvement after his recent Nations Championship appearance against Scotland.