The Springboks will go into this weekend’s crucial Rugby Championship clash expecting a tough battle against an Argentina side that can still win the title.
With four games played, the Springboks have one hand on the trophy having won all of their matches against Australia and New Zealand.
A win at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero will seal the title, but should Argentina secure a bonus point victory, next week’s clash in Mbombela will be a final of sorts.
Having beaten the All Blacks in Wellington, and hammered the Wallabies in Santa Fe, the Pumas will be confident that they can cause the world champions some problems with their abrasive forwards and speedy backs.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Springboks forwards coach Deon Davids were prepared for a tough encounter against the South Americans, who were also chasing their first-ever Rugby Championship title.
“Argentina is a very well coached team. They’ve got an intelligent coach. If you look at their game, they’re really on an upward curve in terms of their performance,” Davids said.
“When you look at the profile of their team, obviously they’ve got the usual customers who are very tough upfront. The [Marcos] Kremers, the [Pablo] Materas, the [Julian] Montoyas,” he continued.
“They are really tough guys upfront, so we expect a good challenge in set pieces. And obviously also they’ve got excellent backline players.
“A lot of them coming through their sevens academy. They showed their skills and their speed of execution in their last couple of games in the Rugby Championship.
“So, ja, we’re playing against a well balanced team, a settled team with a lot of confidence. So for us, it’s going to be important to focus on us, to ensure that we stick to the plans that we have and that we play the game in the right areas and be ready for the challenge, whether it’s physical or whether it’s speed.”
IOL Sport