The Springbok coach said victories against the British & Irish Lions, All Blacks and Wallabies would motivate the Los Pumas to repeat history.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus expects his 33-man squad to face fierce opposition during their two Tests against Argentina during the final push in the Rugby Championship.
Australia lead the tournament with 11 points, followed closely by South Africa and New Zealand (10 each) and Argentina (nine). Every nation has won two games and lost two, including one victory and one defeat to every side the’ve played.
So while New Zealand play Australia home and away, South Africa do the same with Argentina – except their away game will be in London, not Argentina. At home, they’ll face them in Durban on 27 September and then at Allianz Stadium in England on 4 October.
Argentina to follow historic win?
Still, Erasmus said Los Pumas will not forget their 29-28 victory over the Springboks in Santiago Del Estero last year. It was historic in that it was the first time Argentina had beaten all three championship opponents.
This year, Argentina beat the All Blacks 29-23 in Buenos Aires and then beat the Wallabies 28-26 in Sydney. They held on amid three late Wallabies tries to secure that latest win and move to sixth on the world rankings.
Erasmus said those victories, plus their 28-24 victory over the British & Irish Lions in June, fueled Argentina’s motivation.
“The Pumas are a tough and physical outfit, and they’ll come to South Africa full of confidence,” the Springbok coach said.
“They have quality forwards and backs, and they play with guts and passion, so we know it will take two great performances to beat them and hopefully reclaim the Rugby Championship title.”
Erasmus said the next two games will be vital for all four teams, not just because of the standings but because there “is so little between them in terms of the way they play”.
“Any team can still win the competition, so there is no margin for error, and every point will count. These are going to be massive battles.”
Injury-hit Springbok squad has what it takes
On his own injury-hit squad, Erasmus said it was sad to lose lock Lood de Jager, loose forward Jean-Luc du Preez, fullback Aphelele Fassi and winger Kurt-Lee Arendse, among others. But capable players would fill their boots in the Springbok setup.
“We are also fortunate to have so many versatile players who can play a few different positions, and they are equally adept in each of them,” he said.
“The fact that the younger and older guys have been training with one another and against one another on the field almost daily really paid off last weekend, and we have no doubt that if we continue showing our faith in these players, we will get the best out of them.”
