Siya Kolisi stood down by Springboks again as huge blow confirmed

Kolisi was making his first international appearance of 2026 in Saturday’s 17-10 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires, having missed South Africa’s Nations Championship campaign with a hamstring injury.

However, the 34-year-old lasted just 24 minutes before being forced from the field, leaving the world champions sweating on his fitness less than two weeks before the opening Test against the All Blacks at Ellis Park.

“I hurt my hamstring again, unfortunately. So, I’ll go for a scan and see how far it is,” Kolisi said after the game.

“It is really tough, but I can’t be sad about it. There is nothing I can do now, other than to go and have a scan and then see how long I’m out for.”

Rassie Erasmus will now anxiously await the results, although the Springboks boss was hopeful the setback would not prove too serious.

The injury was the major concern from an otherwise useful outing for South Africa, with Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager among several players getting valuable minutes following injury lay-offs.

Attention now turns to the historic four-Test series against New Zealand, part of the All Blacks’ first traditional tour of South Africa since 1996.

The opening Test takes place at Ellis Park on August 22, followed by meetings in Cape Town and at FNB Stadium before the rivals head to Baltimore for the final encounter.

Kolisi’s availability will now be one of the biggest talking points heading into the series.

Friday, August 7
Stormers 21-38 All Blacks – DHL Stadium, Cape Town

Tuesday, August 11
Sharks v All Blacks – Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban

Saturday, August 15
Bulls v All Blacks – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

Saturday, August 22
Springboks v All Blacks – Ellis Park, Johannesburg
First Test

Tuesday, August 25
Lions v All Blacks – Ellis Park, Johannesburg

Saturday, August 29
Springboks v All Blacks – DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Second Test

Saturday, September 5
Springboks v All Blacks – FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
Third Test

Saturday, September 12
Springboks v All Blacks – M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
Fourth Test

Here are five Springboks who struggled against Argentina.

A difficult afternoon for the returning fly-half despite contributing five points from the tee.

Argentina deliberately sent plenty of traffic down Feinberg-Mngomezulu's channel and, while there were some encouraging early carries, South Africa's attack lacked cohesion.

His kicking from hand became a particular problem. The Boks repeatedly kicked too long to offer their chasers a realistic contest, with Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach and Aphelele Fassi all guilty during an ineffective first-half kicking display.

The frustration was summed up when, following a lengthy spell of possession, the 24-year-old dropped into the pocket and attempted a drop goal – only to see the ball crash against the crossbar.

There were flashes of the player who has become such an important figure for Erasmus, but plenty of rust too.

Fassi deserves credit for his involvement in South Africa's opening try, joining the attack before Edwill van der Merwe raced away to score just before half-time.

Beyond that, however, it was a frustrating performance.

Handling errors disrupted his afternoon and he endured some uncomfortable moments defensively, while his kicking also contributed to South Africa's problems in the first half.

There were occasional flashes of his attacking quality, particularly when entering the line at pace, but not enough of them.

A hit-and-miss showing from the experienced scrum-half.

Reinach did occasionally cause problems around the fringes, but South Africa's attack frequently became disjointed and their kicking strategy failed to put Argentina under sustained pressure.

The Bok half-backs were particularly wasteful during the opening period, with Reinach among those sending kicks too long for South Africa to properly compete in the air.

With the All Blacks looming, this wasn't Reinach's strongest argument for retaining the No.9 jersey.

This was an important opportunity for De Jager to get valuable minutes following his latest injury lay-off, but the veteran lock endured a rusty return.

One costly knock-on helped spark the sequence which eventually resulted in Argentina's opening try, while he also conceded a penalty and South Africa's usually dependable lineout wasn't completely convincing.

De Jager was replaced during the third quarter as Erasmus unleashed his bench, with the Springboks becoming increasingly dominant up front thereafter.

After his recent fitness problems, getting through more than 50 minutes was valuable. Performance-wise, though, the coaches will expect considerably more.

Not a disastrous performance by any means, but certainly a mixed one from South Africa's record cap holder on his return.

Etzebeth produced some typically dominant defensive moments, secured his lineout ball and managed to charge down a box kick.

There were errors too. He knocked on from a pick-and-go with South Africa pressing close to the Argentine line, while another second-half carry ended with the giant lock becoming isolated and turned over.

Like De Jager, Etzebeth was returning after missing the Nations Championship through injury, although unlike his second-row partner he completed the full 80 minutes.

With four enormous Tests against New Zealand coming next, Erasmus will hope the outing has knocked away some of the rust.