Erasmus is deliberately side-stepping the furore around Argentina's seven-card meltdown against England, framing it as an anomaly rather than a character trait. His view of Los Pumas — hard, physical, but never unsportsmanlike — hasn't shifted, and he has no interest in using their recent controversy as a tactical talking point. The real focus is the Buenos Aires assignment itself, which Erasmus treats with genuine respect: he's reminded anyone tempted to look past Argentina that the Boks have been handed their worst hiding of his tenure on Argentine soil. Complicating preparation further is a Contepomi squad carrying 10 uncapped or unfamiliar faces, making it harder than usual to model what Argentina will look like. Erasmus also draws an interesting contrast in squad-building conditions — acknowledging that Argentina's Europe-scattered player base makes cohesion far harder to build than South Africa's more centralised domestic pipeline allows.
Rassie eyes Buenos Aires challenge, not Argentina's disciplinary baggage
Erasmus is refusing to engage with Argentina's discipline controversy ahead of the Buenos Aires Test, calling it an anomaly and redirecting attention to the genuine difficulty of winning in Argentina — where the Boks have suffered their worst defeat under his tenure. With 10 new faces in the Pumas squad and their players scattered across Europe, Erasmus flags real preparation challenges while drawing a telling contrast in how the two nations build squad cohesion.
- Rassie Erasmus
- Argentina
- England
- Springboks
Boks remain top but All Blacks close gap to 2.90 points after Nations Championship opener
South Africa stay top of the World Rugby Men's Rankings at 93.94 points but New Zealand have cut the gap to 2.90 after beating France, while Scotland climb to equal their all-time high of fifth following a record 47-38 win over Argentina in Córdoba.
England should steal Rassie's two-squad playbook for their impossible summer schedule
Nick Easter argues England must adopt Rassie's split-squad model to survive a brutal summer window, and backs it up with a detailed first-choice XV for Ellis Park — with Fiji, not South Africa, flagged as the most dangerous fixture.
Springbok dominance, Lions revival and women's rugby records — where are 2025's big stories now?
A mid-2026 stocktake on 2025's biggest rugby stories — Springbok dominance, the Lions series win, Bath's treble and England's Women's World Cup triumph — assessing what's had staying power and what's already faded.
So how deep is the Springbok squad?
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Rassie on Alles Ep 1 | The Barbarians in the Bay
The #Springboks kick off their season against the Barbarians in Gqeberha, a place close to the hearts of Rassie Erasmus, Mzwandile Stick, and Deon Davids. The three Bok coaches discuss why it's special to return to the Eastern Cape and what