Flyhalf Manie Libbok and loose forward Kwagga Smith are expecting big battles in their respective areas of expertise in the Sprinboks’ final home Test of 2025, when they clash in the Rugby Championship against the Pumas in Durban on Saturday.
The teams will meet again at Twickenham in London next Saturday in the closing match of the 2025 edition of the tournament. Depending on the results in the next two rounds, the showdown in London could prove to be the title decider.
Both Libbok and Smith, however, were fully focused on doing what they had to this weekend for the Boks to stay in the race to defend the title they won for the first time since 2019 last year, especially with all four participating teams in the series still in with a fair shot of lifting the trophy.
“Many of their players have Sevens rugby backgrounds, and they are quick and agile with a great skillset, so we know we have a big challenge on our hands this weekend, but we are looking forward to it,” said Libbok.
“They are also very good in the aerial battle, which is an area we also pride ourselves on, so it’s also going to be a key battle in the match. We took a lot of confidence from the way we trained that week, and it was great to see how everything came together in the second half.
“Handre Pollard, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and I work really well together and push one another really hard, and that definitely brings the best out of all of us.”
“They have very mobile loose forwards who get around the park, and they are also good at winning turnovers, so we are expecting a big challenge in that department. Over and above that, their pack is physical in general, and they play hard rugby, so they’ll challenge us there this weekend,” said Smith.
“They’ve grown a lot over the last few years, and they have a good balance between senior and younger players, which is a combination that makes them very strong.”
South Africa are the reigning Rugby Championship title holders. New Zealand are the most successful team in the history of the tournament with 20 titles.
