The world champions have landed in South America! The Springboks officially arrived in Buenos Aires in the early hours of Sunday morning following a long-haul journey from Cape Town via São Paulo.
The 26-player squad split into two travelling groups that checked into their team hotel within an hour of each other after midnight. The players will spend Sunday resting and recovering to beat jet lag and acclimatize before hitting the training pitch on Monday morning to gear up for their clash against Felipe Contepomi’s Los Pumas at Estadio José Amalfitani.
Rassie Erasmus: Groundwork Laid in Johannesburg
Speaking upon the team’s arrival, Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus emphasized that the core tactical preparation was already completed during their Johannesburg camp:
“It’s great to be back in Buenos Aires, and we are looking forward to the challenge of facing the Pumas here once again. It was a long journey, and there is a fair time difference between the countries, so the players will have time to rest and acclimatize today, and then we’ll return to the training field tomorrow.”
“Fortunately, we did most of the groundwork for the match at our training camp in Johannesburg earlier this week, so we have a good base to build on in the next few days.”
Two-Front Strategy: Dual Focus on Argentina & All Blacks
While 26 players battle Los Pumas in Argentina, the remaining Springbok squad members stayed behind in South Africa. That group reassembles on Sunday evening to begin preparations for the upcoming Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand.
Erasmus confirmed that squad announcements and tactical planning for both campaigns remain completely on track.
26-Man Travelling Squad
- Forwards: Lood de Jager, Ben-Jason Dixon, Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Johan Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom, Siya Kolisi (c), Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw, Zachary Porthen, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Boan Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese.
- Backs: André Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Quan Horn, Herschel Jantjies, Canan Moodie, Handré Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Morné van den Berg, Edwill van der Merwe.
Fixture Information
- Match: Argentina vs South Africa
- Date: Saturday, 8 August 2026
- Kick-off Time: 21:00 SAST (16:00 local time)
- Venue: Estadio José Amalfitani, Buenos Aires
