Boks bracing themselves for hostile reception in Argentina

The Springboks are bracing themselves for a hostile reception at the Estadio Unico Madre Ciudades in Santiago del Estero where they take on Argentina in the penultimate match of the Rugby Championship next Saturday. 

The Boks departed for Argentina on Saturday afternoon to defend their unbeaten record and secure the title with one match remaining at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on September 28. 

“It’s definitely hostile over there but we don’t find them to be hostile in terms of fear, but rather passionate fans enjoying supporting their team,” said Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus. 

“They have a few legends there and they are a well-coached team that beat the All Blacks and registered the biggest score ever over Australia. So, in their hearts we have no doubt they’ll believe they can beat us.” 

The Boks enter the match needing three more log points from their next two matches against Los Pumas to seal the title for the first time since 2019, but Erasmus refused to write off the hosts. 

“It doesn’t matter how one looks at it, we don’t want to lose against Argentina and it’s exactly the same for them. They must firmly believe they are still in the running for the trophy, so whether we win, or they win, both teams will be very hungry.” 

Erasmus is expecting a stern test for the Boks. 

“I think it will come down to preparation, who pitches up the best on the day, and which side is the most desperate because I don’t think there’s much separating the teams.” 

The Bok coach is delighted to have had two days with the team in Stellenbosch to get them into the right mindset for the challenge ahead and for the coaches to put the groundwork in place for the encounter. 

“Camps are always valuable, especially if you are going to try players in different positions, and the guys definitely used the two days together as well as they could,” he pointed out. 

“The journey to Argentina is a bit of a stretch, but at least we’ve done some work on them, so when we arrive there on Sunday hopefully we can hit the ground running.”