The Springboks will have to complete the remainder of their Rugby Championship campaign with superstar flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

With the Springboks are currently in Argentina for their penultimate Rugby Championship fixture against Los Pumas which will take place in Santiago del Estero on Saturday.

And on Tuesday, after naming his team via teleconference, Rassie Erasmus dropped the bombshell that Feinberg-Mngomezulu had suffered a knee injury which requires corrective surgery, followed by an extended stay on the sidelines as part of the recovery process.

“He injured his knee before the first Test against the All Blacks,” the Springboks boss said.

“He played through it. I asked him during the next week why he was limping and he said he injured his knee last week.

“I actually really wanted to pull him out of the team because he was limping. That’s what we need the players to understand, you must be honest about injuries. Sacha is lucky we won both of those Test matches.”

SPRINGBOKS WITHOUT ROOKIE PLAYMAKER UNTIL NOVEMBER

Although the playmaker didn’t travel with the team to Argentina, the Springboks would have utilised his services in the last game of the competition against the same opposition in Mbombela in two weeks time.

But Erasmus will now have to do without him, as he has been ruled out for between four to six weeks and will only be available for Springboks selection in November.

“Sacha will only be ready for the end-of-year tour with a knee injury,” Erasmus said.

“He is having the operation now. I’m not exactly sure what is wrong with his knee, but he will be ready in around four to six weeks.”

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Springboks team: Rassie Erasmus makes 10 changes as Boks chase record run and Eben Etzebeth matches Matfield against Argentina

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has named his team for the penultimate round of the Rugby Championship as South Africa face Argentina in Santiago.

The Boks head into the clash against Los Pumas knowing that a victory over Felipe Contepomi’s troops will seal a first Rugby Championship title since 2019.

In fact, it will also be just the third time New Zealand has not won the competition since 2012 – when Argentina were added to the then Tri Nations.

With this in mind, Erasmus has rotated his squad once again from the team that sealed a second victory over the All Blacks in South Africa.

Rassie Erasmus rings the changes again

Erasmus has included lock Eben Etzebeth on the bench for the fixture and if the centurion features, he will equal Victor Matfield’s record as the most-capped Springboks player of all-time.

Replacing Etzebeth in the starting XV is Salmaan Moerat, who will skipper the team in Siya Kolisi’s absence, and he packs down alongside Ruan Nortje who earns his fourth straight start for the Boks.

Nortje is one of five players who retain their starting jersey from the win over the All Blacks in Cape Town, the others are: Ox Nche (prop), Jasper Wiese (number eight), Handre Pollard (fly-half) and Jesse Kriel (centre).

In the front-row, Nche partners hooker Malcolm Marx – who moves from the bench into the starting XV – while Thomas du Toit starts at tighthead prop.

Marco van Staden replaces Kolisi in the number six jumper with Wiese at eight and Ben-Jason Dixon returning to reclaim the blindside flanker role with Pieter-Steph du Toit rested.

Cobus Reinach starts alongside Pollard as the nine and 10 combinaion while Lukhanyo Am and Kriel are the starting midfielders. Into the back three, the starting wingers are Makazole Mapimpi and Kurt-Lee Arendse while Aphelele Fassi returns to the full-back role where he shone against Australia and in the first Test against the All Blacks.

Erasmus has favoured a 6-2 split on the bench to face Los Pumas with versatile front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels covering hooker, while Gerhard Steenekamp and Vincent Koch are back-up props. Etzebeth, Elrigh Louw and Kwagga Smith will provide impact in the back-five forward roles with Jaden Hendrikse and Manie Libbok completing the replacements.

Erasmus on the team to face Argentina

“It would be amazing to wrap up the Castle Lager Rugby Championship title this weekend, but it won’t be easy, and we have a bigger picture in mind as well, which is to build squad depth with an eye on the 2027 World Cup,” head coach Erasmus said.

“The only way we can do that is to expose the younger players to tough opposition under difficult circumstances, and so far, all of them have risen to that challenge.

“We’re excited about this squad and to see what the younger players can do in pretty tough playing conditions with such a passionate support base in Argentina and also at a new stadium.

“The fact that Los Pumas are still in the running for the title for the first time ever will drive their team and supporters even more. We have no doubt we will be tested to the limit both as a team and the players as individuals, and we are excited to see how they deal the pressures that comes with playing here.”

Ahead of the clash against Argentina, Erasmus opted to rest the following players for the trip: Willie le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Damian de Allende, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Frans Malherbe and Bongi Mbonambi.

A win over Los Pumas would be the sixth in succession for the Boks in the Championship, which would be South Africa’s longest winning run in the competition (or its Tri-Nations forerunner), exceeding five consecutive victories recorded in 2009.

Springboks team v Argentina

South Africa: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Lukhanyo Am, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Salmaan Moerat (c), 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Jaden Hendrikse, 23 Manie Libbok

Date: Saturday, 21 September
Venue: Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades, Santiago
Local kick-off: 18:00
GMT kick-off: 21:00
NZL kick-off: 9:00 (Sunday, 22 September)
AUS (AEST) kick-off: 23:00
RSA kick-off: 23:00
ARG kick-off: 18:00

Referee: Christophe Ridley (RFU)
Assistant Referees: Matt Carley (RFU), Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)