While the Springboks have backed their mix of experience and youth ahead of their daunting clash against Argentina in Santiago Del Este this weekend, they are wary of a Los Pumas team that is one of the best in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship and still has an outside chance of winning the trophy.
After Argentina’s massive demolition of the Wallabies in their second outing just more than a week ago, the Boks know that they won’t find an easy fixture in the remote Argentine town, especially with a hostile home crowd waiting for them and a much-improved Pumas side that has already claimed the scalp of the All Blacks this season.
But Davids believes the team the Boks have picked is capable of winning away from home and wrapping up the Rugby Championship, something that will be achieved if they get the win this weekend.
“We always put a team on the field that we believe in and can beat any team,” Davids said. “These players have some test experience and we are confident they will give a good account of themselves.”
The coaching regime under Felipe Contepomi has been impressive since he took over from Michael Cheika, and has instilled a lot of passion back into the Pumas jersey.
Davids is wary of this, as well as the tough forward pack that the Pumas possess, but believes the Boks will prepare well for the clash.
“We are very excited for this opportunity to play Argentina here, we know it is going to be very tough. It is never easy coming here,” he smiled.
“We are playing a team that is on a high. They have beaten two Southern Hemisphere teams and they are still in the Rugby Championship race. So this is a very important game for them, as it is for us, and we are expecting a tough encounter against them.
“Argentina is a very well coached team. They’ve got an intelligent coach. If you look at their game, they’re really on an upward curve in terms of their performance.”
Davids added that the Boks know the Pumas well, so will know what threats they pose to the national side.
“When you look at the profile of their team, obviously they’ve got the usual customers who are very tough upfront. The (Marcos) Kremers, the (Pablo) Materas, the (Julian) Montoyas,” he continued.
“They are really tough guys upfront, so we expect a good challenge in set pieces. And obviously also they’ve got excellent backline players.
“A lot of them come through their sevens academy. They showed their skills and their speed of execution in their last couple of games in the Rugby Championship.
“So, yes, we’re playing against a well balanced team, a settled team with a lot of confidence. So for us, it’s going to be important to focus on us, to ensure that we stick to the plans that we have and that we play the game in the right areas and be ready for the challenge, whether it’s physical or whether it’s speed.”
The Boks will name their side on Tuesday night for the clash, which kicks off at 11pm on Saturday night (CAT, GMT+2).