Rugby
Springboks Eye Rugby Championship Glory as They Brace for Argentina Challenge
The Springboks aim for Rugby Championship glory as they prepare for a tough clash against an unpredictable Argentina, with key learnings from their encounters with New Zealand.
Image Credits: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images
The Springboks have arrived In Argentina ahead of the penultimate round of The Rugby Championship.
The World Champions can seal their first tournament win since 2019.
Assistant coach Deon Davids expressed the sides excitement playing in Argentina, against an unpredictable Los Pumas side in Santiago del Estero.
Excitement Ahead of Argentina Clash
“We are really excited for this opportunity to play against Argentina here. We know it’s going to be tough, it is never easy playing here. We obviously playing against a team that is on a high, they beat two southern hemisphere teams and have a good opportunity to win The Rugby Championship. This is a very important game for them as it is for us and we expect a very difficult and tough encounter”, Davids told SportsBoom.com.
Loose forward Kwagga Smith highlighted key areas the side were looking to work on from the New Zealand fixtures, ahead of the clash this weekend.
Lessons from New Zealand Encounters
“After playing the All Blacks twice we got a few learnings. Defensively we wanted to stop their momentum after the first test match. Personally for me in the breakdown, we lost a lot of ball. New Zealand got a lot of turnovers and broke the momentum for us in areas where we wanted to attack. That is definitely the two aspects where we will be looking to work on during the week”, said Smith.
We know Argentina have good fetchers and stealers, it’s definitely going to be a big battle at the breakdown this weekend.
Kwagga Smith
Focus on the Present, Eyes on the Prize
Argentina is notoriously known to be a difficult country to play in, especially with the hostile crowd as the fans are very close to the playing field. So far in this competition this year, Argentina managed to beat the All Blacks in New Zealand and dominated the Wallabies in their latest encounter.
The side has been labelled unpredictable and can beat anyone on the day.
“For us there is definitely a good opportunity to win The Rugby Championship but we can’t look too far ahead. It’s going to be a really tough game this weekend and they also in the running to win The Rugby Championship for the first time.”
“I have been to Argentina a few times, in the Super Rugby and internationally. It is a hostile crowd but they really passionate. On the field, you got to pitch up otherwise the crowd will get loud. I quite enjoy it and it is a great challenge. The stadium we are going to is quite new and nice. I am definitely looking forward to it and the passionate fans know their side have a chance to win The Rugby Championship.”
Nathan has over a decade of knowledge and experience, both as a former professional sportsperson and journalist. Nathan, a former radio sports presenter and producer is an award-winning community radio sports producer/presenter.