Quintin van Jaarsveld identifies five Springbok players who’ll be in the spotlight in Saturday’s one-off Test against Argentina in Buenos Aires.
ALSO READ: BOK TEAM: Dogs Of War Back For Buenos Aires Battle.
Eben Etzebeth
It’s crazy to think that a player as decorated as Etzebeth, who’ll extend his record as the most capped Bok of all time to 142 Tests on Saturday, still has something to prove at this stage of his career.
However, with the legendary enforcer having struggled with one injury after another in recent seasons and having last played for the Boks in November after being suspended for 12 weeks following a skirmish against Wales, there are serious question marks about his future, especially regarding his Bok career.
Many, including Nick Mallett, question whether the 34-year-old can rely solely on his reputation to retain his place in the national side, particularly with Cobus Wiese emerging as a real find during the home leg of the Nations Championship in July.
For Etzebeth, the fire still burns bright inside. “I want to play as long as I can. As long as I’m fit, healthy and getting selected, I want to keep playing. If the coaches still believe in me and my body holds up, then I’ll continue representing South Africa,” he remarked recently.
“For me it’s quite simple, just playing for the Springboks is the biggest motivation. It is such an honour representing my country every weekend. “Every year you want to be on top of your game to be in that squad and force your way into the starting XV. That’s always been my biggest motivation – not letting a young guy come through and take your position.”
One of the all-time greats, Etzebeth will be eager to make a statement against Los Pumas.
Lood de Jager
Like Etzebeth, De Jager has been plagued with health issues since being ruled out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup final at the 11th hour due to a heart condition.
He tore his rotator cuff in 2024 and enjoyed a welcome run that saw him add seven caps to his Test tally last year before undergoing hip surgery at the start of this year, which kept him on the shelf for seven months.
The 33-year-old will reunite with Etzebeth in the engine room for what will be their 43rd Test as a second-row combination. Only the iconic duo of Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield have linked up more at lock for South Africa, doing so on 63 occasions.
Siya Kolisi
There’s plenty of excitement about Paul de Villiers after the former Junior Bok captain’s excellent form in the No. 6 jersey in Kolisi’s injury-enforced absence during the first half of the Nations Championship.
So much so that some feel the future is now and that the Boks should move on from Kolisi. The double World Cup-winning captain, however, is such a cornerstone of the team that he’ll lead the men in Green and Gold on their quest for a three-peat in Australia next year if fit.
For now, though, fans are eager to see how he fares in his comeback on Saturday. Erasmus, for one, is backing the veteran to hit the ground running. “The one guy that we don’t have to worry about coming back from injury is Siya,” the Bok coach said.
“Before the 2023 World Cup, Siya had a long-term knee injury, and it was always a race against time to see if he would be ready, but he won the race.
“He also had a problem before the 2019 World Cup. Probably because of his age and his experience of injuries, he has learned how to deal with injuries, how to rehab and handle the pressure and the frustrations that you go through.
“Siya’s very diligent with that, and from our experience, we’ve never been unsure about selecting him. He’s always delivered.”
Elrigh Louw
Louw is set to earn his 14th Bok cap when he runs onto the field in the No. 7 jersey, and yet, he’s still chasing a breakthrough performance.
An excellent player at club level for the Bulls, Louw – who made his Bok bow in the 32-29 win over Wales at Loftus Versfeld in 2022 – has been solid rather than spectacular at Test level and with the depth at Erasmus’ disposal, “The Sheriff” requires a performance that solidifies him as an international calibre player.
A knee injury sidelined the 26-year-old for much of 2025, but he made a try-scoring return to the national side in the 42-28 victory over Scotland last month and will be out to take names.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
The ghost of Los Pumas’ past is fit again and ready to haunt the Argentinians once more.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s name was the last Los Pumas wanted to see on the Bok team sheet after he spearheaded South Africa’s 67-30 triumph in the teams’ clash in Durban last year.
Personifying a perfect storm, the flyhalf wrote his name into the record books by racking up a mesmeric 37-point haul, the most by a Bok in a single Test, breaking Percy Montgomery’s previous record of 35 against Namibia in Cape Town in 2007.
He won’t be as prolific on Saturday given it’s his first game back from injury, but odds are he’ll still thrill and do damage.
Quintin van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 20 years of experience.
