Springboks: Kolisi and Etzebeth headline 43-man squad as Erasmus splits group for Argentina and All Blacks push

Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth have been named among 10 injured Springboks returning to a 43-man national squad as head coach Rassie Erasmus adopts a bold split-squad strategy ahead of a demanding run of fixtures against Argentina and New Zealand.

The enlarged group will assemble in Johannesburg on Sunday before the world champions head to Buenos Aires for their Nations Championship clash with Argentina, followed by the high-profile “Greatest Rivalry” Test series against the All Blacks.

Erasmus has recalled captain Kolisi, Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Franco Mostert, Handre Pollard, Canan Moodie, Ethan Hooker, Andre Esterhuizen, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Morne van den Berg – all of whom are returning from injury and will be evaluated for match readiness over the coming week.

At the same time, in-form duo Embrose Papier and Jaco Williams – both try-scorers in the Nations Championship – have been released to their franchises alongside Ntuthuko Mchunu, Evan Roos and Andre-Hugo Venter to prepare for midweek fixtures in the Greatest Rivalry programme.

Erasmus explains split-squad plan

Erasmus said careful planning had gone into ensuring as many players as possible could challenge for selection in the coming weeks.

“We put a lot of thought into how we will manage the entire group of players to give everyone a chance to stake a claim for places in the squad for the RGR series, and we decided that splitting the squad into two groups will be best for the Springbok team and the players to play their way into the squad,” said Erasmus.

“Some players are returning from injury and need some valuable game time, so depending on how they progress from their injuries during next week’s training camp, we will decide who we will take to Argentina, while the other guys in the 43-man squad will remain behind in Johannesburg with a group of coaches and management to begin preparing for the Tests against New Zealand.”

With travel numbers to Argentina restricted, Erasmus stressed that rotation and rest would be as important as opportunity.

“Then there are other players who have played a lot of rugby this year and for us during the Nations Championship, and need a match off to allow their bodies to recover.”

Franchise releases still part of All Blacks build-up

Despite releasing several players back to their clubs, Erasmus insisted they remain firmly in the frame for the All Blacks series.

“The players released to their franchises will also have an opportunity to face the All Blacks in their respective midweek games if they are selected, which will be invaluable for them once we decide on the final squad for RGR, so we see this as a win-win situation for the team and players.”

The Springboks are building towards four Tests against New Zealand in the Greatest Rivalry series, with the midweek matches for franchises seen as a crucial proving ground for fringe and returning players.

Respect for Argentina after 2024 defeat

South Africa have faced Argentina regularly in the Rugby Championship era, and Erasmus is under no illusion about the difficulty of winning in Buenos Aires.

“They are a quality team, and they have proved that in our previous clashes,” said Erasmus. “In fact, they defeated us in Argentina the last time we faced them there in 2024, so we know how tough it is to win there, and we intend to take a quality team to Buenos Aires.”

The Springboks have been given time off this week to be with their families before reporting for camp in Johannesburg on Sunday. They will train for a week before Erasmus finalises the travelling party to Argentina.

Full 43-man Springbok squad

Props Thomas du Toit (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Wilco Louw (DHL Stormers), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Zachary Porthen (DHL Stormers), Carlu Sadie (Bordeaux Begles), Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls), Boan Venter (Fidelity Securedrive Lions).

Hookers Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears).

Locks Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears).

Loose forwards Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon (both DHL Stormers), Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls), Siya Kolisi (DHL Stormers), Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).

Utility forwards Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese (all Vodacom Bulls).

Scrum-halves Herschel Jantjies (Bayonne), Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers), Morne van den Berg (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Grant Williams (Kobe Steelers).

Fly-halves Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Vusi Moyo (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls).

Centres Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles).

Outside and utility backs Kurt-Lee Arendse (Mitsubishi Dynaboars), Aphelele Fassi (Toshiba), Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Quan Horn (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Cheslin Kolbe (DHL Stormers), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls), Edwill van der Merwe (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers).