Assistant coach Deon Davids insists that the Springboks won’t be using the one-off Test against Argentina as a warm-up game for the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks.
However, the Boks will be using the clash as an opportunity to continue to build their game and see the fixture as nothing less than another international match.
The meeting in Buenos Aires is South Africa’s last game before the four Tests against the All Blacks, and while many have suggested that Rassie Erasmus and his charges will be using the match as a warm-up for the highly-anticipated series, Davids insists that is not the case.
Springboks expect a ‘gutsy’ Argentina Test
He explained that the Boks have clear goals that they want to achieve against Los Pumas and this year.
“Coming to Argentina, it’s another Test match for us, and we are busy building our game,” he told reporters on Monday.
“We understand that coming to Argentina, especially Buenos Aires, has never been easy. While we are busy building our game, it’s going to be important for us to ensure that we improve in the areas where we want improvement, but also to ensure that we are very clear in terms of what we want to achieve. It’s another Test match. So our aim will always be to be at our best and to play Test match rugby.
“We will focus on ourselves, and our main focus in this game is to ensure that we play the game we want to play, that we are clear in terms of what we want to achieve, and that we play in the right way against a formidable opponent.”
This is not a warm-up match
Asked specifically whether this was a warm-up game for the Boks, Davids was forthright in his reply.
“We don’t approach any game as a warm-up. We approach every Test match as a game that is important in terms of what we want to achieve as a country, what we stand for as a team, and obviously we also want to be proud of our record,” he said.
“We get an opportunity to set our standards or improve our standards from game to game. Yes, there are a lot of challenges lying ahead for us this week, but we’re looking forward to it, and Argentina is just a different challenge. They are a very passionate team. They’re very passionate and gutsy when they play in Argentina, especially in Buenos Aires. It was always that way when we come here; it’s always been about grinding it out right until the end – it’s never easy.
“So if you come to Argentina with a mentality of seeing it as a warm-up, that’s a big mistake. Argentina will have their own goals, but I think the important thing for them will also be to win the game and prove that they belong on this stage. They also want to build team depth with their brilliant youngsters playing in sevens and coming through. So I think it’s going to be a passionate and gutsy Test match. It’s going to be a good challenge, and we’re really looking forward to that.”
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Second-row boost
While it’s clear that the Boks won’t be taking the Pumas lightly, the fixture is a timely one as many experienced players will mark their returns from injury against the men in white and blue hoops.
Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager are among them, the duo easing the injury crisis at lock while captain Siya Kolisi is back after sustaining an injury in training before the Nations Championship showdown with England. Fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and scrum-half Morne van den Berg also return after missing the tail end of the URC season with the Stormers and Lions, respectively.
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“It’s obviously fantastic to have Eben and Lood back, but also the other players that were injured or haven’t played in a while. We’ve got Siya and Sacha back and all of those guys, so it’s fantastic to see them again wearing the green and gold, being fit to play,” Davids added.
“From a set-piece perspective, they’re experienced guys, and they mean a lot, and we are hoping that they find their feet quite well. We’ve had a very good build-up towards this game in our camp week, and now it’s a fantastic opportunity for them to play, which is important as we build up towards the rest of the season.”
Managing returning stars
The coaching team could run the risk of overplaying some of those players in their first game back, but Davids is confident that the team mantra of putting the Springboks first will serve them well in this regard.
He admits that match-fitness is a concern for many of the players but says that the coaches will manage their match minutes over the next batch of fixtures.
“We will take into account when they last played a game,” he explained.
“We will be led by the intensity and how the game gets played. We do have specific plans in terms of how we want to manage them throughout the next couple of games. We understand that match fitness is a big issue, and for them just to get into it, express themselves and play as hard as they can for as long as they can – that is important for us.
“We operate as a collective, all 23 in the squad; the team sees themselves as important for the whole match to get us a good result. And with that understanding, we’re not worried about that; we believe that they are ready. They’ve worked very hard in the last couple of weeks to get themselves back onto the field, and they look forward to that. We also can’t wait to see them get going and get part of the mix going forward.”
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