Willie le Roux training with Boks in Durban ahead of big Pumas clashes

Springbok fullback Willie le Roux joined the national squad in Durban on Sunday and will train with the team until Wednesday as they prepare to face Argentina in their penultimate Rugby Championship match at Kings Park on Saturday (5.10pm).

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus named a squad of 33 players for their two closing matches of the competition against the Pumas, the second of which is at Twickenham in London on October 4.

With the team set to switch into full throttle at training this week, he called up Le Roux to assist with their preparations.

The latest Springbok centurion will return to the Bulls after the Boks’ main training block completes on Wednesday, making him available for selection for the Pretoria side’s opening United Rugby Championship match against the Ospreys at Loftus on Saturday (2pm).

“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,” Erasmus said.

“We try to train the way we play and having him in camp will allow us to improve the quality of our sessions ahead of the vital match.

“Every point will count in the next two games if we want to win the competition, so it’s essential we get the most out of our training time to be as sharp as possible when we take the field.

“I’d like to thank Johan Ackermann and the Bulls for releasing him to train with us, and we wish them and the other South African teams the best of luck for the opening round of the URC.”

The Boks assembled in Durban last Thursday to begin their preparations for Saturday’s encounter and had training sessions on Friday and Saturday to get the wheels in motion after their return from New Zealand a week ago.

“It’s great to be back in camp and to see the excitement and enthusiasm among the players. We are keen to get back into the swing of things after a few days off to recover from the trip back from New Zealand,” Erasmus said on the weekend.

“We have two huge encounters ahead against a psyched-up Argentinian team, who, like every other side in the competition, believe they can win the trophy, so the extra two training days were vital for us.

“The players are fresh and charged up for the challenge ahead and that excites us because we are going to give everything to build on our last result and give ourselves the best possible chance to win the title.”

The defending champion Springboks are in second position on 10 points, the same amount as the third-placed All Blacks after their record 43-10 victory against their old foes in Wellington in South Africa's last game.

The Wallabies top the table on 11 points, with the fourth-placed Pumas on nine, meaning the title race is wide open going into the closing two rounds.

SA Rugby media