Willie le Roux Joins Springboks for Key Championship Match

Springbok fullback Willie le Roux joined the national squad in Durban on Sunday.

Le Roux will train with the team until Wednesday as they prepare to face Argentina in their penultimate Castle Lager Rugby Championship match at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday.

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus named a squad of 33 players for their two closing matches against the Pumas, the second of which will take place at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday 4 October. With the team set to switch to full training this week, Erasmus called up Le Roux to assist in their preparations.

The latest Springbok centurion will return to the Vodacom Bulls following the main training block's conclusion on Wednesday, making him available for selection for the Pretoria side’s opening Vodacom United Rugby Championship match against the Ospreys at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday at 14:00.

“Willie is a member of our wider squad, and we feel it will benefit us to have him train with us early in the week,” said Erasmus.

Erasmus emphasized the importance of high-quality training: “We try to train the way we play, and by having him in camp it will allow us to improve the quality of our training sessions ahead of this vital match. Every point will count in the next two games if we want to win the competition, so it’s essential that we get the most out of our training time to be as sharp as possible when we take the field.”

Erasmus expressed gratitude to Johan Ackermann and the Vodacom Bulls for releasing Le Roux: “We wish them and the other South African teams the best of luck for the opening round of the Vodacom URC.”

The Boks assembled in Durban last Thursday to begin preparations for Saturday’s encounter, with training sessions held on Friday and Saturday following their return from New Zealand a week ago.

The Springboks currently sit in second position on the Castle Lager Rugby Championship standings with 10 points, the same amount as the third-placed All Blacks. The Wallabies lead the table with 11 points, while the fourth-placed Pumas have nine points, keeping the title race competitive heading into the closing two rounds.