Experienced lock Lood de Jager will join the Springboks in London on Monday as cover for Franco Mostert, who remained behind in South Africa on Sunday due to a family bereavement, as the side gears up for their closing Castle Lager Rugby Championship encounter against the Pumas at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday.
De Jager suffered a niggle in the team’s record 43-10 victory against the All Blacks in Wellington, but fortunately for Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus, he has made a full recovery and is available for selection.
The Boks departed for the UK on Sunday night and touched down early on Monday morning, enthusiastic and excited about the prospect of defending the title they won last year for the first time since 2019.
South Africa currently hold a one-point lead at the top of the standings over the second-placed All Blacks, who are on 14 points, while the Wallabies are in third place with 11 points and Argentina are at the bottom of the log with nine points.
The Boks will have a recovery day on Monday and return to the training field on Tuesday to begin their preparations for Saturday’s competition decider.
“The journey to London was good, and with it being an overnight flight, the players rested well on the plane and look fresh and ready to get back into the swing of things tomorrow,” said Erasmus.
“Fortunately, the time zone is similar to South Africa, so the players can jump straight back into action without any challenges. We’ll obviously manage them carefully this week to ensure we get the best out of them on the field on Saturday.”
Erasmus added: “This is a massive game, and we have no doubt Argentina will come out guns blazing to finish their campaign on a high note, but at the same time, we have a chance to win the competition back-to-back for the first time in history, so we have all the motivation we need this week.”
Commenting on De Jager being called up to fill the void left by Mostert, Erasmus said: “We all feel deeply for Franco and wish him strength during this challenging time, and we’ll support him as well as we can.
“Fortunately, Lood has recovered from his injury, and his experience and leadership will be valuable in such an important week for the team.”
Erasmus will announce his matchday squad for the game on Tuesday.
