Rassie opts to rest seven players for Argentina leg

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has opted to rest seven players who have had a heavy workload in recent months.

He has named a 28-player squad for the team’s short Rugby Championship tour to Argentina.

The Springboks play the Pumas in the penultimate round of the championship in Santiago on the 21st of this month.

The seven players who will not travel to Argentina are forwards Bongi Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe and Pieter-Steph du Toit as well as backline players Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian de Allende, Cheslin Kolbe and Willie le Roux.

All of them will be placed on a specialised training programme with an eye on rejoining the team for the return match at the Mbombela Stadium a week later.

Erasmus recalled Johan Grobbelaar. He travelled with the Boks to Australia and will cover hooker along with Malcolm Marx and Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who can also play prop.