'We always knew this one was going to be very big to prepare ourselves for the coming Tests.'
Johan Grobbelaar was one of the Springboks who had a decent performance against Argentina. Picture: Juan Jose Gasparini/Gallo Images
Springbok hooker Johan Grobbelaar said his team’s performance was far from perfect in their one-off Test in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
But the hard-fought 17-10 victory against a determined Argentina at home laid a foundation to build on for South Africa’s four Tests against New Zealand in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
Springboks under par against Argentina
Argentina’s young side, which featured four debutants in the absence of several stars, capitalised on a slew of Springbok errors, especially in the first half.
South Africa was dismally poor in the aerial contest, made handling errors, lost scrum penalties, and were bumped off in tackles. They only started to improved when the bomb squad came on after 50 minutes, and they re-adjusted their kicking game plan.
In the end, one score was the difference as the Springbok defence held fast when it mattered.
The result extended South Africa’s winning streak over the South American nation to four games, as well as their unbeaten run at the venue going back to 1993.
“It was a massive grind,” Grobbelaar said.
“It was always going to be difficult. I’m glad we go the win at the end. The Argies, they never go away.
“We had to fight for it right until the end. It could have easily been a draw.”
He referred to Argentina’s 15-phase attack at the death, when they looked certain to score before a knock-on just in front of the try line.
‘We’ll build on it’
While Grobbelaar’s long-range lineouts were iffy, he was one of the better Springboks on the day.
His throw-ins were otherwise good, and he busied himself in the loose, getting stuck into the action all over the field.
Still, he was straightforward about his own performance. “Not perfect. A few mistakes, but we’ll build on it,” he said simply.
The Springboks now have a week off before preparation begins for the four-Test series against the All Blacks, starting in Johannesburg on 22 August.
By then, the visiting side would have played against the Sharks and Bulls, after already beating the Stormers 38-21 in Cape Town on Friday.
“We always knew this one [Argentina Test] was going to be very big to prepare ourselves for the coming Tests, and start implementing the plan we want to take in [to that series]. It was a massive game for us.
“Well done to the guys. I think everyone was zoomed in 100% on Argentina. That was the big focus for the week. So I’m glad we got the win. We are going to build on that for the next couple of games.”
