Deon Davids and Kwagga Smith have emphasised the speed and strength of Los Pumas as the Springboks steel themselves for a blockbuster clash in Argentina on Saturday.
The world champions arrived in Argentina this past weekend ahead of their penultimate match of the Rugby Championship against the hosts at Estadio Unico Madre Ciudades in Santiago del Estero.
Rassie Erasmus’ troops can seal their first tournament crown since 2019 this, with Los Pumas the only other team in the running with two rounds remaining. South Africa hold an eight-point lead at the top of the standings over Felipe Contepomi’s men.
Speaking in a Bok teleconference from Buenos Aires on Monday, assistant coach Davids acknowledged the formidable challenge posed by Los Pumas, especially on home soil.
“It’s never easy coming here, and we’re playing against a team on a high that has recently beaten two top southern hemisphere teams,” Davids told reporters.
“Argentina is a well-coached team with an intelligent coach [Contepomi] and are on an upward curve in terms of their performances.”
Davids highlighted the physicality of Argentina’s forward pack, singling out key players. “They’ve got the old, usual customers who are very tough up front – the Kremers, Materas, Montoyas – so we expect a good challenge in the set pieces,” he stated.
He also pinpointed the threat posed by Argentina’s backs, many of whom have a sevens rugby background. “They’ve got some excellent backline players, a lot of them coming through their sevens academy,” the forwards guru observed.
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“They’ve shown their skills and speed of execution in the last couple of games in the Rugby Championship.”
Smith echoed Davids’ sentiments while emphasising the importance of Saturday’s match in the context of the Rugby Championship. “For us, it’s a huge opportunity to win the Rugby Championship but we can’t look too far ahead,” the loose forward said.
“It’s going to be a tough competition this weekend because Argentina is also in the running to win the competition for the first time, so they’ll be really desperate.”
The two-time World Cup winner identified key areas for improvement following the Boks’ recent wins over the All Blacks in the Republic.
“After playing the All Blacks twice we got a few learnings; defensively we wanted to stop momentum better after the first Test, and personally for the breakdown in the second Test, we lost a lot of ball,” he explained.
Saturday’s breakdown battle is expected to be particularly fierce, with Smith adding, “We know Argentina got a few good stealers and fetchers, and it’s going to be a big challenge at the breakdown this weekend.”
Smith also highlighted the experience within the Argentine squad, particularly in the forward pack. “[Pablo] Matera and the boys are really good players and have been in the system a long time,” he noted. “That’s something they will bring to the game, that experience, and they’re Argentinians so will be really passionate.
“We need to rock up physically and do our jobs, play as a team,” the veteran bruiser concluded. “If you fall into a trap and play as individuals you’ll be in trouble.”
Photo: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
