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Erasmus to Use Argentina Clash as All Blacks Preparation
Rassie Erasmus has confirmed the Springboks will treat next weekend's once-off Test against Argentina in Buenos Aires as preparation for the four-match Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand. With Eben Etzebeth and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu cleared to play, only Ox Nche and Franco Mostert remain unavailable through injury. The head coach will announce his travelling squad on Saturday, with non-selected players returning to Johannesburg to begin All Blacks preparations.
Erasmus eyes Argentina match as injury-return audition ahead of All Blacks series
Erasmus will name his Argentina touring squad on Saturday, with the Buenos Aires Test doubling as a fitness audition for the RGR series against New Zealand. Only Nche and Mostert are unavailable, while ten players return from injury in time to be considered.
Sam Cane ranks Kolbe among the greatest to play the game
Former All Blacks captain Sam Cane says Cheslin Kolbe belongs in the conversation among rugby's all-time greats.
Erasmus maps out a four-test marathon, not a sprint
Erasmus's approach to the four-test series is deliberate and phased — build across the series, peak late, and make final selection calls only after seeing how the All Blacks play the franchises. Injury news is largely positive, and the Boks' depth means they're better placed than most to execute that kind of series-long strategy.
Rennie's Savea gamble raises more questions than it answers
Rennie's call to rest Savea for the tour's opening weeks is defensible on welfare grounds, but this piece argues it creates squad dynamic questions and match-sharpness risk — and that the Boks will be watching closely for any edge it hands them.
Jantjies caught between Bayonne exit and a South African return with no landing spot
Bayonne are prepared to offload Jantjies before the new Top 14 season, but Erasmus's desire to get him playing URC rugby is running into a wall — no South African franchise is currently interested in signing him.
Matfield: Faf is knocking on the door — but the Currie Cup that shaped him barely exists anymore
Matfield tips Faf de Klerk for a Springbok recall after his Cheetahs form, while delivering a frank verdict that the Currie Cup has effectively become a development competition — meaningful for smaller unions, but a shadow of what it was when the big franchises fielded full-strength sides.
From winger to enforcer: Etzebeth on his transformation, his suspensions, and the Bok physicality culture
Etzebeth opens up on his teenage body transformation, the Alaalatoa brawl, his Wales suspension, and how Erasmus has made physicality a squad-wide non-negotiable rather than one man's burden.
Sam Cane: Kolbe is one of the greatest players of all time
Sam Cane, speaking from years of daily training alongside Kolbe at Suntory, rates him among the greatest players of all time — not for what he does on match day, but for what he does every week in training.
Etzebeth's favourite All Blacks memory isn't Paris — it's the night the nuke squad was born
Etzebeth picks the 35-7 Twickenham win over the All Blacks as his favourite memory, explains his reaction when Erasmus first proposed the 7/1 bench split, and half-seriously floats an 8/0 option ahead of the Greatest Rivalry series.
Etzebeth and Feinberg-Mngomezulu cleared for Argentina as Erasmus eyes All Blacks preparation
Rassie Erasmus has confirmed that Eben Etzebeth and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are fit and available for next weekend's clash against Argentina in Buenos Aires. The match serves as crucial preparation for the forthcoming Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand, with only Franco Mostert and Ox Nche ruled out through injury. Etzebeth returns after missing all three Nations Championship fixtures due to concussion-related headaches.
Etzebeth, Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Kolisi and Hooker all cleared to face Argentina
Eben Etzebeth, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Siya Kolisi, Lood de Jager, Ethan Hooker and Canan Moodie have all been cleared to face Argentina in Buenos Aires next weekend, with only Ox Nche and Franco Mostert unavailable due to niggles.
Erasmus locks focus on Argentina as injury returnees add selection depth
Rassie Erasmus has named Argentina as the Springboks' sole immediate focus, confirming all returning injury players except Ox Nche and Franco Mostert are available for the Buenos Aires Test, with the touring squad to be announced Saturday.
Etzebeth on his worst day, his 2019 vs 2023 verdict, and why Rassie is Michael Scofield
Etzebeth opens up on the 2015 semi-final as his career low, explains what Erasmus actually changed in Bok culture, and rates 2019 above 2023 — with a memorable Prison Break analogy for Rassie's tactical edge.
Etzebeth names 2015 semi-final aftermath as his worst day — and explains the 'Prison Break' quality that makes Erasmus different
Etzebeth opens up on the 2015 semi-final loss as the darkest moment of his career, rates 2019 above 2023 as a World Cup achievement, and gives a telling account of how Erasmus rebuilt Bok culture around accountability and collective buy-in rather than individual stardom.
All Blacks trio target silencing home crowds in South Africa series
Simon Parker, Quinn Tupaea and Luke Jacobson have told the DSPN podcast that the All Blacks are targeting a series win in South Africa with the specific goal of quieting the home crowds.
All Blacks trio targeting hostile South African crowds in Greatest Rivalry series
Parker, Tupaea and Jacobson say silencing Springbok home crowds is a key motivation heading into the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series in South Africa.
Cane expects All Blacks to feed off Ellis Park hostility
Sam Cane backs the All Blacks to thrive under Ellis Park pressure, framing the hostile atmosphere as motivation rather than a threat ahead of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry opener against the Springboks.
Ten uncapped players in Argentina's 34-man squad as bans bite ahead of Springbok clash
Argentina have named a 34-man squad with 10 uncapped players for their Rugby Championship Tests against South Africa and Australia, shorn of banned captain Julián Montoya and fly-half Tomás Albornoz following the fallout from their defeat to England.
Matfield: Kolisi and Etzebeth still World Cup-bound — but nobody gets a free pass under Rassie
Matfield backs Kolisi and Etzebeth to reach the 2027 World Cup, arguing De Villiers is a complement rather than a straight replacement, while underlining that Erasmus's uncompromising form-or-drop culture applies to everyone — veterans included.