Lock Eben Etzebeth will play his first game of the year on Saturday.
And it will be on the grandest stage - the Springboks’ Rugby Championship opener against Argentina in Durban.
Having missed the Stormers’ Super Rugby campaign because of a shoulder injury, national coach Rassie Erasmus surprised on Monday by saying Etzebeth will slot straight back into his starting XV.
But he will only be on the field for up to an hour, according to Erasmus.
That means young Bulls lock RG Snyman, who started in the No.4 jumper against England earlier this year, is likely to start off the bench against the Pumas.
Erasmus explains: “We just got the clearance from the specialist.
“He [Etzebeth] has been with us for three to four weeks now.
“And he has been training full-on. He is fit and powerful.
“Obviously match fitness will be a bit of a problem.
“But I think the way we’ll select the team, because he will be in the mix this weekend, will be to make sure that we have cover for him.
“[We won’t] get more than 60 minutes out of him - he is very fit - but contact-wise it will be a bit tough.”
Another Stormer, Damian Willemse, is expected to be named in Erasmus’s matchday squad on Thursday.
The coach will use the 20-year-old flyhalf in the fullback position.