South Africa captain Siya Kolisi admitted the prospect of missing the Springboks' upcoming series against New Zealand is "tough", having suffered a hamstring injury against Argentina.

The world champions defeated Argentina 17-10 in Buenos Aires on Saturday despite producing a disjointed performance, requiring a late goal-line stand to hold on.

And, ahead of four marquee matchups with the All Blacks, three of which will take place in South Africa with the final Test being played in Baltimore, United States, there is concern over Kolisi's condition.

The 35-year-old, who has already missed three internationals this year with a hamstring issue, was clutching at the same area when he hobbled off in the 25th minute.

And he now faces an anxious wait to find out whether he will be available to face New Zealand, with Ellis Park hosting the teams' first matchup on August 22. 

"I hurt my hamstring again and I will have to go for a scan to see how bad it is," Kolisi said.

"It is really tough, but I can't be sad about it. I will just have to go for my scan and see how long I will be out for."

Edwill van der Merwe and Cameron Hanekom scored South Africa's tries against Los Pumas either side of half-time, with Benjamin Grondona having crossed after just eight minutes for the hosts.

The #Springboks dig deep to secure the win - match report: https://t.co/UN10lDUXZj #ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/QRaHc5K1W1

— Springboks (@Springboks) August 8, 2026

And despite the Springboks being far from their best, Kolisi believes coming through such a bruising encounter will benefit the team in the long haul.

"It was a tough game, exactly what we expected," he said. "A lot of us are coming back from injuries, so we knew the chemistry and cohesion would not be there.

"They are very similar to us, that's why we love coming here. We are looking forward to the upcoming games – it is going to be really tough. 

"This was great preparation for that. The people of Argentina have been amazing to us. They always show so much love to us as a team."

South Africa have now won each of their last 12 Tests, last tasting defeat against the All Blacks last September, when they went down 24-17 at Eden Park.