Rassie Calls Up Stormers Prop Mchunu 2026

Stormers loosehead prop Ntuthuko Mchunu has been added to the Springbok training group, with Rassie Erasmus bolstering his numbers to 44 players as South Africa ramps up preparations for what is arguably the most demanding stretch of their Test season.

Mchunu Earns Opportunity to Secure Springbok Spot

Mchunu earned his fourth Test cap when the Springboks dismantled Scotland 42-28 earlier this month, and this call-up hands him another genuine shot at cementing his place in the matchday 23. Erasmus is building depth in the front row, and for a prop with only four caps, every training session alongside the world's best is currency he cannot afford to waste.

The squad reassembled in Johannesburg on Sunday evening after a week's break that followed an unbeaten Nations Championship campaign — a run that included a commanding 43-0 victory over Wales. The focus now shifts sharply to two massive assignments: a one-off Test against Argentina in Buenos Aires on 8 August, followed by the four-Test Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks.

Squad Preparations Underway for Argentina Test

Erasmus is expected to name his travelling squad for Buenos Aires later this week. The selected players and management will depart for Argentina in two groups on Saturday. Those who remain in Johannesburg will continue their preparation for the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series under a scaled-down coaching and management team — a smart split that keeps both squads sharp without burning legs unnecessarily.

Argentina Confident Despite Recent Loss to England

Argentina arrive into this fixture with some confidence of their own, having pushed England to 31-24 before going down. The Springboks, though, have been ruthless in this Nations Championship window and will carry serious momentum into Buenos Aires. For Mchunu, the Argentina trip represents exactly the kind of high-pressure audition that separates squad fillers from genuine Test props.

The first leg of the Greatest Rivalry series then opens at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on 7 August, where the Stormers host New Zealand — a fixture that will set the tone for the entire series before the Test at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban follows on 11 August.