Passionate Pumas will throw everything at Boks, says Davids

A passionate and gutsy Argentina will throw everything at the Springboks to show they belong on world rugby’s biggest stage when the teams clash in Buenos Aires on Saturday, says South Africa assistant coach Deon Davids.

He warned the Boks could not afford to lose focus and allow an upcoming series against old foes the All Blacks to distract them from a tough task at the Estadio José Amalfitani (kickoff 9.10pm).

Davids said the one-off clash against Los Pumas was not being viewed by the Boks as a warm-up for the four-Test Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand.

The Boks arrived in Argentina in the early hours of Sunday morning and resumed their preparations for the match with their first field training session on Monday.

“It’s a big Test match for us,” Davids said. “It has never been easy, especially in Buenos Aires, so it’s important that we improve on the areas of our game in which we would like to.

“We are also very clear in terms of what we want to achieve, so our focus will be on ourselves and trying to play the way we want to against a formidable opponent.

“I’ve been very clear about this: our focus is on Argentina. We want to do our best to win a Test match for South Africa, while at the same time improving our game and continuing to build for the rest of the season.

“That is the most important thing for us. We are not focusing on any other game for the rest of the year right now. This week it’s all about Argentina, and we don’t approach any game as a warm-up. Every Test match is important for our country and what we stand for as a team.”

Davids said the Boks would be facing a different challenge against a physical Argentina outfit.

“They are a very passionate team, especially at home, and it has always been a case of grinding it out right until the end against them,” he said.

It’s fantastic to have Eben and Lood back, and also the other players who were injured and haven’t played in a while, such as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and the other guys.

—  Deon Davids

“It’s never easy. If you come to Argentina with the mentality of seeing it as a warm-up game, you would make a big mistake. They have their own goals. They want to win the game, improve, and prove they belong on the biggest stage.

“They also want to build their team depth with their brilliant youngsters coming through, so it’s going to be a passionate, gutsy Test match and a good challenge, and we’re really looking forward to it.”

David’s said the Boks would be boosted by the return of experienced locks Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager.

“It’s fantastic to have Eben and Lood back, and also the other players who were injured and haven’t played in a while, such as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and the other guys. They’re experienced players, and they mean a lot in our system.

“Fortunately we had a very good build-up to this game at our camp in Johannesburg last week, so this is a fantastic opportunity for them to play, and it is important as we build towards the rest of the season.

“We do have specific plans in terms of how we want to manage the returning players. We operate as a collective, all 23 in the squad, and we believe they are ready. They’ve worked very hard the last couple of weeks to get themselves back onto the field.”

The Herald