Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick and captain Siya Kolisi remained humble about the prospect of possibly becoming the first Bok team to win back-to-back Rugby Championship titles when they line up against the Pumas in the grand finale of the competition at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday, and stressed that the quality of their performance was their main driving force going into the Test.
The Springboks hold a one-point lead over the second-placed All Blacks on the standings going into the final round, and they will know exactly what the permutations will be for them to lift the trophy for the second successive season by the time they take the field.
But Stick and Kolisi said their main focus was to improve as a team, especially with a challenging five-week tour coming up to the UK and Europe in November.
“Breaking records is nice, and so is winning competitions, but the quality of our performance will be the most important aspect for us because we also have a tough end-of-the-year tour coming up,” said Stick.
“So, our main focus is on the match against Argentina and ensuring that we deliver an 80-minute performance. Last week’s result (the Boks 67-30 victory against the Pumas) is in the past, and we certainly learned a few things from that match after leading by only two points at halftime.
“Last week we scored, and then they would score, and we conceded penalties that kept them in the game, and if one looks carefully at Argentina, they beat New Zealand and Australia, so if we don’t learn from that and the errors we made last week, we’d be silly.
“They are a good side, they’ll be desperate, and they are a passionate rugby nation. They’ve also selected a team with world-class players, and some senior players surrounding the younger guys, so it will be important to lay a strong foundation up front and for the backs to deliver a skillful performance.”
Kolisi agreed with the Bok coach and said: “Last week was tough, and we were only able to break through after 60 minutes, so although we cannot control the result, the magnitude of this match makes it huge, and we are looking forward to it.”
The Bok skipper added: “There are a few guys in our team that haven’t won the Castle Lager Rugby Championship before, and we want to honour them and make it a special game for them. But setting records is not our focus. It’s all about our performance and trying our best to do the job tomorrow.”
Zooming in on Argentina’s team, Stick said: “We went through their side and a lot of their players have a Sevens rugby background, so if we are not at our best, it will be a long day on the park.
“I have no doubt it’s going to be a grind, and much like some of our younger players in the last few months, their newer players will also look to grab their opportunity to play and make their presence felt.
“They are going to pitch up mentally and emotionally, and they also have supporters here, so if we do not deliver, we know they are a side capable of punishing the opposition.”
The match kicks off at 15:00 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
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