Springboks to Return to Full-Strength Line-up for Argentina Test: Team Announcement Date Confirmed
The Springboks are set to field their strongest line-up for this Saturday’s Test against Argentina. The official team selection will be announced at 14:15 on Tuesday.
Throughout the Rugby Championship, the Springboks have experimented with their squad, rotating players while still managing to secure key victories. However, this past Saturday saw a largely revamped team suffer a surprising defeat to Argentina, disrupting the momentum they had built.
This week, Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus has confirmed that the Springboks will revert to their strongest available team, with several top players—many of whom were rested last week—set to return to the starting line-up.
No Regrets for the Springboks
Reflecting on his decision to rest key players after the defeat, Erasmus defended his strategy of giving younger players experience in Argentina’s challenging conditions.
“The guys who were rested will definitely come into the mix. It would’ve been great to win this game—we wanted to win it,” Erasmus said.
“We knew it was a bit of a gamble to leave seven guys at home. The loss is disappointing, and we’re sad about it, but it was part of the plan.
“I don’t want to use the cliché ‘lessons learned,’ but for some of the younger guys, experiencing this stadium, the passionate Argentina fans, and how the Pumas open up the game—now they know how it feels. There are five or six guys who hadn’t played here before.
“The guys who were at home will certainly be back in the selection, as we had planned from the beginning.”
Argentina’s victory moved them up to 14 points on the standings, while the Springboks, who secured a losing bonus point, remain on 19.
Should the Springboks win the competition, it would be their first Rugby Championship title since 2019. They have already had a successful campaign, having won the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate against Australia and the Freedom Cup against New Zealand.
The Springboks and Los Pumas shared a flight back to South Africa immediately after the match, and the Springboks are set to resume full training on Monday.
