Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids and loose forward Kwagga Smith, have both cautioned the team against complacency when they Argentina in Santiago del Estero on Saturday, in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship encounter.
The Boks will be hoping to register their fifth win in a row and secure their first title since 2019.
Their concerns come as Los Pumas have already beaten New Zealand and Australia and currently sitting in second place at 18 points while the Boks lead the standings with 18 points.
Smith said they’re not taking anything for granted.
“This Argentinean team have proven that they can beat any side with their victories against Australia and New Zealand.
So, we certainly cannot go out there with the mindset that we can just pitch up and win.
We really have to play as a tight team and play for one another, and hopefully if we can do that, we can get the desired result,” said Smith.
The Boks only need three more log points to guarantee the title, but Smith warned that they must take one game at a time.
“This is a huge opportunity for us to win the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, but we cannot look too far ahead.
They are a tough side, and they are also in the running to win the title, so they’ll want to get five points from this match, which will make next weekend in Nelspruit a final.
The key for us is to focus on one game at a time,” explained Smith.
His comments were echoed by Davis and who warned the team to expect a brutal battle up-front and well-balanced performance from the host.
“They are a well-coached team, with a local coach and they’re on an upward curve in terms of their performances.
They have their usual tough customers up-front, so we expect a big set-piece challenge.
Then they have backs who are fast and talented, many of whom come out of their sevens structures.
So, we’ll be facing a balanced and settled team,” cautioned Davis.
The Boks arrived in Argentina late on Sunday, rested on Sunday to recover from the long journey to Buenos Aires, and only returned to the training field on Monday.
The match will be played at 23H00 South African time on Saturday.
