Rassie Erasmus 'surprised' by Eben Etzebeth's performance in Durban

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus admitted that he was surprised by the quality of performance produced by lock Eben Etzebeth on his comeback game against Argentina last weekend.

Etzebeth was drafted into the Springboks line-up straightaway for the Rugby Championship opener despite being out of action for eight months due to shoulder and back injuries that saw him sidelined for the entire 2018 Super Rugby season.

However, the 26-year-old showed all his experience and was clinical in the Boks' 34-21 win in Durban where he broke through the Pumas defence on several occasion.

"Everybody was saying to me, 'How can we put him straight into this Test?" said Erasmus.

"But we knew how fit he was and how hard he has worked and we were confident he would get through the game.

"But the way he played surprised us, especially for a guy who hasn't played for so long."

South Africa are currently positioned second in the Rugby Championship table following their bonus point win in Durban are set to face Argentina again at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas on 25th August.