Seven players back from injury for Springboks

As the Springboks prepare to face Argentina in Buenos Aires this Saturday, one of the key objectives is to ensure several key players are able to make a successful return from injury on the eve of the four-Test series against the All Blacks.

In a major boost for Rassie Erasmus and his coaching team, Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Morne van den Berg have all been cleared to start this weekend.

Those five players are also joined in the starting line-up by Andre Esterhuizen and Ethan Hooker, who have also battled with some injuries in recent times.

“This match is the perfect occasion for players like Siya, Eben, Lood, Sacha, Morne and the other players returning from injury to get a tough Test under the belt and get back into full swing at international level, as Argentina are a formidable team, who will push us to the limit,” said coach Rassie Erasmus.

“The guys have been working very hard to return from injury and there is no better test to measure where they are than facing the Pumas in Argentina.

“The other players in the squad also all deserve their places and have been waiting patiently as we tested combinations in the last few matches, and one can sense the excitement in the group to get back onto the field.”

Kick off is at 21:00 (SA time).

HOW THE SPRINGBOKS WILL LINE UP AGAINST ARGENTINA

SPRINGBOKS – 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 André Esterhuizen, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Boan Venter.
Bench: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Ben-Jason Dixon, 20 Cobus Wiese, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Morné van den Berg, 23 Handre Pollard.

Stats and facts:

Springbok record against Argentina:
Played 40; Won 35; Lost 4; Drawn 1; Points for: 1 411, Points against: 784; Tries scored 167, Tries conceded 76; Highest score 73-13; Biggest winning margin 60 points. Win % 87.5%.