The Springbok squad will assemble in Durban on Thursday to begin their preparations for the last two matches of the Rugby Championship against Argentina, the first of which will take place at Kings Park next Saturday.
These rounds will decide if the Springboks can retain the southern hemisphere title, with very little separating all four teams.
As things stand, the Wallabies are currently on 11 points going into their Bledisloe Cup matches against New Zealand, while the Springboks are in second place, and the All Blacks in third place (both on 10 points), while the Pumas are one point back with nine points.
The Springboks’ clash against Argentina at Kings Park kicks off at 17:10
The teams will first meet at in Durban on Saturday 27 September, and then at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, in London on 4 October.
“The Pumas are a tough and physical outfit, and they’ll come to South Africa full of confidence after beating Australia 28-26 last weekend and knowing that they beat us in Santiago Del Estero last year, as well as the All Blacks earlier in the competition,” said Erasmus.
“They have quality forwards and backs, and they play with guts and passion, so we know it will take two great performances to beat them and hopefully reclaim the Rugby Championship title.
“The next two games are going to be vital for all four teams because there is so little between them in terms of the way they play, and given how close the standings are. Any team can still win the competition, so there is no margin for error, and every point will count. These are going to be massive battles.”
Latest Bok squad:
Forwards – Pieter-Steph du Toit, Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Ruan Nortje, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Marnus van der Merwe, Marco van Staden, Boan Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Jasper Wiese.
Backs – Damian de Allende, Faf de Klerk, Andre Esterhuizen, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Manie Libbok, Makazole Mapimpi, Canan Moodie, Handré Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Morne van den Berg, Damian Willemse, Grant Williams.
