Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and his charges are in a confident mood ahead of next weekend’s Rugby Championship encounter with Argentina at Kings Park in Durban.
The world champions kicked off their preparations on a powerful note for the first of two crucial Tests against Argentina’s Los Pumas with their second clash set to take place at Allianz Stadium Twickenham on October 4.
The Boks assembled in camp in Durban on Thursday night and wasted no time getting straight back to business after a few days with their families, following their 43-10 triumph over their arch rivals the All Blacks in Wellington last week.
South Africa’s players started the day off with an early morning spinning and gym session, followed by an afternoon training session.
They are set to return to the gym and field on Saturday, before reverting to full Test match mode on Monday for the eagerly anticipated showdown with Los Pumas.
Tight in the Rugby Championship standings
After four rounds of action, only two points separate the four competing nations in the Rugby Championship standings.
Australia are currently setting the pace atop the standings with 11 points in the table, while the Boks and All Blacks are level on 1,0 and Argentina occupy fourth position just a point adrift.
While South Africa and Argentina will battle it out in the last leg of the prestigious southern hemisphere tournament, New Zealand will face off against Australia for the Bledisloe Cup, and given how tight the standings are, any side could snatch the title, which the Springboks won last season for the first time since 2019.
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“It’s great to be back in camp and to see the excitement and enthusiasm among the players, and we are keen to get back into the swing of things after a few days off to recover from the trip back from New Zealand,” said Erasmus.
“We have two massive encounters ahead against a psyched-up Argentinean team, who, just like every other side in the competition, believes they can win the trophy, so the extra two training days were vital for us.
“The players are fresh and charged up for the challenge ahead, and that excites us because we are going to give everything to build on our last result and give ourselves the best possible chance to win the title.”
Erasmus added: “The players jumped straight back into action, and our focus on Friday and Saturday is to improve the areas of our game we would like to after reviewing the last match against the All Blacks, as well as our fundamentals, which will be critical against a well-rounded and Pumas outfit.
‘We need to be sharp at training’
“They have a powerful pack and classy playmakers in their backline, so we need to be sharp at training and ensure that we are ready mentally and physically when we approach game day next week.”
The Boks mentor is expecting an immense battle against Felipe Contepomi’s charges in Durban, but said they were pleased to be back in South Africa and hoped they could make the most of the opportunity to make their supporters and the country proud in what would mark their last game of the year on home soil.
“This match is significant in many ways,” said Erasmus. “It’s not only essential to get a good result to stay in the running to defend our title, but it’s also our last home game of the year, and we want to thank our fans for their passionate support throughout the year.
“That said, we are under no illusions that it’s going to take a top-class performance to achieve our goal in this match, but we will leave no stone unturned in trying to achieve that.”
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