Springboks duo Frans Malherbe and Faf de Klerk expect a tough battle when they resume their Rugby Championship campaign against Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
With the tournament entering its final stages, just one point separates the four teams on the table with New Zealand currently in pole position on 10 points while South Africa, Argentina and Australia are all on nine.
Not taking Pumas lightly
Tighthead prop Malherbe and scrum-half De Klerk know that they can’t afford to underestimate the Pumas on their home turf.
“They are a very good side, and they are quite successful at home,” said Malherbe.
“I cannot pin-point why they are so good at home, but what we know for sure is that they are a passionate country and nation, and they always give their best in front of their fans.”
De Klerk echoed Malherbe’s statement and said: “Argentina have definitely become more consistent in their play, and their victories against Australia and New Zealand shows the improvement they have made.
“They are a physical team and now they have added a kicking game to their skillset.
“They also have a lot of players playing for overseas clubs, so they are certainly becoming a top team in world rugby.”
De Klerk insisted the Springboks know what they have to do to possibly lift the Rugby Championship title, and said bonus-point victories would be crucial.
“All the teams are aware of how close the log is in the competition, so we know that we probably need to get five points in our next two matches,” he added.
“If we play to our potential, hopefully we can achieve that this weekend, and then we’ll see next week exactly what we need to do in Durban.”
While Malherbe has been named in the run-on side, De Klerk returns to the matchday squad as one of the replacements – a position he believes would be equally important in trying to seal an important victory.
“We all know what our roles are when we come off the bench,” said De Klerk.
“This weekend my role will be to speed up the game and offer some control depending on where we are in the match at that stage. There is a lot of responsibility on the guys finishing the game, especially against a team like Argentina that are playing at home.”
Expecting a tough scrum battle
Meanwhile, Malherbe believes the scrum battle would be vital in the grander scheme of things.
“We put a lot of focus on the set pieces, but we also feel that there is always room for improvement,” he said. “We constantly want to get better, and every week we try to be better than our opponents.”
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