The Springboks may have completed a double over the All Blacks, but their achilles heel in the second test against their arch-rivals was their breakdown, and it wouldn’t be a state secret that this will be the prime area for Argentina to target ahead of their Castle Lager Rugby Championship test in Santiago del Estero on Saturday.
The Boks will continue their build-up in Buenos Aires before moving to the city in the latter part of the week, where they take on Argentina at the imposing Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades.
Bok talisman Kwagga Smith faced the media late on Monday, and admitted the Boks needed to tighten up in this area if they are to come out on top and clinch the Rugby Championship trophy this weekend.
Smith was wary of the amount of turnovers that the Boks conceded against the All Blacks, where they were beaten time and again on the ground. While it is natural they will prepare for this, Argentina’s threat at the breakdown should not be underestimated this week.
“They have a few good stealers and fetchers, so it will be a massive battle this weekend. They have players there with a lot of experience and passion, so the breakdowns are going to be tough, and it will be a physical battle in the set pieces,” Smith said.
And the Boks know that this game will see a fired up Los Pumas side face them, especially as they have a chance of still sneaking through the back door with back to back victories over the Boks to claim the title.
“This Argentinean team have proven that they can beat any side with their victories against Australia and New Zealand, so we certainly cannot go out there with the mindset that we can just pitch up and win,” said Smith.
“We really have to play as a tight team and play for one another, and hopefully if we can do that, we can get the desired result.”
The Boks need just three log points to make the Rugby Championship their own, but Smith said that the cautious approach - facing the game as a one-off and not looking further ahead, was the right approach for this game.
“This is a huge opportunity for us to win the Rugby Championship, but we cannot look too far ahead,” said Smith.
“They are a tough side, and they are also in the running to win the title, so they’ll want to get five points from this match, which will make next weekend in Nelspruit a final. The key for us is to focus on one game at a time.”
Despite being unbeaten in the Rugby Championship this year, Smith believes there is still much room for improvement in the Bok side.
“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.
“Pablo Matera and the boys are really good players and have been in the system a long time. 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,” he added. “If you fall into a trap and play as individuals you’ll be in trouble.”
The Boks will name their side for the clash on Tuesday night.