The split-squad approach Erasmus is taking ahead of the Greatest Rivalry series is increasingly readable as a selection signal. The 15 players staying in South Africa while a second group flies to Buenos Aires are widely expected to form the core of the starting side for the first All Blacks test on 22 August. Erasmus has confirmed a handful of near-certainties — Marx, Kriel, De Allende, Du Toit, Kolbe, and Willemse among them — but was deliberately evasive when pushed on his best XV after the Wales win, insisting squad competition remains tight. The Argentina trip serves a dual purpose: giving returning players like Kolisi, Etzebeth, De Jager, Mostert, and Ox Nche some tier-one match sharpness, while Erasmus — never one to concede a test lightly — will want the result too.
The most intriguing call centres on Feinberg-Mngomezulu, whose fitness and availability for Argentina hinges on whether Erasmus prioritises Bok prep over a Stormers release the same weekend. Etzebeth's concussion clearance and Esterhuizen's cheekbone scare — which mercifully turned out to be less serious than feared — add further selection complexity. With four consecutive tests to manage, including the Baltimore finale, the depth Erasmus has built through 50-plus players across the last two seasons becomes a genuine tactical asset rather than just a fallback.