Online Reporter
Wounded and with their backs to the wall, a proud Argentina team will come out fighting when they face the Springboks in London, Siya Kolisi said.
Saturday’s showdown in front of 80 000 fans at the neutral venue of Twickenham is expected to bring the Rugby Championship tournament to a rousing climax (3pm SA time).
Thanks to a thumping 67-30 bonus point win over Argentina in Durban last week, the Boks need a victory in London to secure back-to-back titles.
Saturday’s result put the Boks on top of the log with 15 points, one ahead of the All Blacks and four ahead of the Wallabies, while Argentina dropped out of the running, sitting bottom on nine points.
“We know what is going to happen in London on Saturday and how tough it is going to be,” Kolisi said. “The Boks know how it feels in that circle after a loss, because we have been there before.
“There is one more game for the team and the job is not finished yet. This week, we are going to go as hard as we can to try win it.
“It is going to be tough and we know Argentina are going to come out fighting. We expected a tough start against the Pumas in Durban.
“South Africa knew what Argentina were going to bring in Durban because they are a proud team. They took their opportunities in the first half when we made our mistakes.”
Kolisi praised his team for their magnificent second-half display, which blew the Pumas away.
“The way we regathered ourselves in the second-half was impressive. When we made a mistake, nobody dropped their heads and we got back up and replied.
“The main message at half-time was that we were making stupid errors and giving away penalties. But we were able to gather ourselves and improve in the second-half, and we came back composed and played as hard as we could, but Argentina didn’t lie down.
“We recognise our mistakes and ill-discipline, but we are also happy with how we responded when we made a mistake. South must stick to what we do well, like putting the ball in the air, looking after the ball and getting into the 22m so we can take our opportunities.”
Pumas skipper Julian Montoya felt his side underperformed in Durban.
“We weren’t good enough and I am very disappointed,” he said. “Credit to South Africa, they are the best team in the world and they capitalised on every mistake we made.
“The game is 80 minutes, not 40 minutes, and we weren’t as accurate as we should have been. We lost the physical battle, and then we couldn’t come back from the poor moments.
“It was a tough day, and now we have to regroup and go again.”
The Boks have made one change to their starting XV for their final Rugby Championship Test.
Prop Ox Nché is returning to the front row having missed last weekend’s victory and provide be a major boost to the scrum. — The Herald
