It was the colourful Bok prop Trevor Nyakane who coined the phrase “silent bullies” to describe how the Boks deal with teams that try to unsettle them, and they can be certain that the Pumas will be one of those teams at Ellis Park on Saturday.
This time last year the fired-up Nyakane spoke of how to deal with a Welsh team who did their best to rile the Boks in the three-Test series in South Africa.
“When it comes to playing the Springboks, most teams try to get under our skins and while you want to fight fire with fire, you must also be smart,” the veteran said. “You do not want to get sent off for saying something ridiculous or doing something that is not worthy of the Bok colours. The best way of handling it is to be silent bullies.”
The Pumas are renowned for their combative approach— lock Tomas Lavanini holds a dubious world record for the most yellow and red cards —and Nyakane is expecting a grueling battle up front.
“No matter how much one dominates, the Pumas never go away. They are very forward-orientated and they like to go to dark places where other teams don’t necessarily go,” the 34-year-old said. “It’s going to be a tough game. Argentina are physical in the scrums, mauls and lineouts, so we have to man up.
“They’ve come a long way from being a team that just wants to be physical and if you are not alert, they can put you under pressure.”
It is Nyakane’s first opportunity of the year and he knows he needs a big one as the countdown starts to the August 8 announcement of the Boks’ World Cup squad.
“It’s been a while since I’ve worn the jersey, so I’m very excited and I will go out there and express myself,” he admitted. “Given the competition in the squad, we know as individuals that we have to bring our best all the time and use the opportunity.”
IOL Sport