Springboks assistant coach Tony Brown says the South Africans must forget about their win over the All Blacks two weeks ago, as Argentina are an entirely different prospect and will require more than ‘patchy’ dominance.
South Africa beat New Zealand 43-10 two weeks ago in Wellington, but Brown warned that Los Pumas play a completely different style of rugby, and that letting up in concentration will be punished.
Australia and the Kiwis have already found that out in this Rugby Championship, both losing a fixture to the South Americans.
Brown said on the SA Rugby website: “Our performance against the All Blacks (in Wellington) was good, but the Pumas are a completely different team.
“They’ve beaten the All Blacks and Wallabies already, so if we don’t pitch up in the right frame of mind, and try to be as dominant as possible, it will be a tough outing.
“It’s vital for us that we get our game plan right this week. We showed patches of good rugby in the last few matches, but we’d like to put together a strong 80-minute performance, and use most of our opportunities, which is something we must still get right.”
Brown also spoke highly of Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi, saying: “He’s done a good job carrying on from what Michael Cheika did with them. They still play with flair, and they have a strong pack, so they are a challenging team to beat.”
Springboks utility back Andre Esterhuizen agreed with his coach, adding: “They are a very good side, who like to move the ball and use their opportunities, so the big challenge for us will be to try to counter their loose play, and we also need to deliver a quality performance until the final whistle.
“As Tony said, they beat all three opposition teams in the competition last year, and they defeated New Zealand and Australia again this year, so they are a dangerous side to face.
“It’s always hard playing against them because they are a tough and passionate nation, but they’ve also come a long way in the last few seasons.
“So, I think it will be a tight game with a big forward battle as well. The team that looks after the ball the best, uses their chances, and does well in the aerial battle will probably come out on top.”
