What time is kick off for Springboks v Argentina this Saturday?
· The South African
The Springboks jetted off to Argentina on Saturday as they prepare for the one-off Test against Los Pumas in Buenos Aires, which will kick off on 8 August (21:00 SA time).
After starting the Test season with three successive wins, the Springboks now face a battle against an unpredictable Argentina side before playing the All Blacks in a four-Test series.
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For many reasons, this clash against Argentina holds plenty of importance as some key players return from injury, while some ‘fringe’ players also bank more meaningful game-time.
“We tried to get the balance right between giving some guys who are returning from injury and who have not had too much game time in our last four matches a valuable run against Argentina, while at the same time managing the players who have played a lot of rugby this year,” said coach Rassie Erasmus.
“Several players have been performing for us week in and week out, so it was important that we manage their workload, while players such as Ox (Nche) and Franco (Mostert) are still on the road to recovery, so next week’s training camp will be useful for them to continue to put in the hard yards and for the injured players to continue their rehabilitation.”
The clash between the Springboks and Argentina kicks off at 21:00 this Saturday
Erasmus is set to finalise his official squad for the Test series against New Zealand following the team’s return from Argentina.
“Argentina are a quality team, and you’ll quickly see who is ready to play against New Zealand two weeks later,” the Springbok coach added. “That said, this match wasn’t planned with that reason in mind – it was always about honouring our relationship with Argentina.”
Bok travelling squad to Argentina (in alphabetical order):
Forwards: Lood de Jager, Ben-Jason Dixon, Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Johan Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom, Siya Kolisi, Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw, Zachary Porthen, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Boan Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese.
Backs: Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Quan Horn, Herchel Jantjies, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Morne van den Berg, Edwill van der Merwe.