Rassie Erasmus has offered a measured assessment of South Africa's returning players following Saturday's 17-10 win over Argentina, singling out Eben Etzebeth for particular praise after the lock completed the full 80 minutes in his first appearance since April.
Etzebeth's return had been delayed by a combination of suspension and injury stretching back to last year's Autumn Nations Series, making his ability to go the distance all the more notable. "I thought you saw the old Eben again," Erasmus said. "He was physical, he carried well, defended well."
Lood de Jager, back after nearly a year out, was effective early before the pace of the match caught up with him. "He was really physical in the first 25 or 30 minutes when he was relatively fresh," Erasmus noted, acknowledging the toll his extended absence inevitably took.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, playing at fullback for the first time in an extended period, struggled with accuracy, while Morne van den Berg's box-kicking was complicated by difficult wind conditions. Kolisi lasted only 24 minutes before leaving with a hamstring issue, though Erasmus was quick to credit the impact he made while on the field. "Siya was really dynamic with his carries and his cleanouts."
On the positive side, Canan Moodie and Ethan Hooker — the latter returning from head injury concerns — both came through unscathed.
Erasmus attributed the Springboks' laboured performance largely to the volume of returning players. "There were a lot of guys out on their feet because they haven't played rugby in a long time — there were 10 guys coming back from injury," he said, adding that Argentina's youthful selection brought unexpected energy to the contest.
"We're not happy that we didn't play well but we're very happy that we grinded out the win," Erasmus said, with the first Test against the All Blacks in Johannesburg now a fortnight away.