Leighton Koopman
The familiarity of Buenos Aires is one of the main reasons the Springboks decided to start the first half of their preparation in the Argentinian capital ahead of their potential Rugby Championship decider on Saturday against their hosts.
Bok head coach Rassie Erasmus and his assistant coaches feel they have enough time in Santiago del Estero, where the match is scheduled to kick off at 11pm on Saturday, to prepare adequately for the challenge when they leave tomorrow evening.
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“We are quite familiar with the surroundings where we stay and the training facilities,” assistant coach Deon Davids said about the Buenos Aires stay.
“It allows us to adapt and work without any other disturbances around us. When we leave here, we will have enough time to adapt to where we are playing.
“Fortunately there are no injury concerns and everyone is ready to play and available for selection. We have been training since last week and (yesterday) we started over here. They are ready to tackle this week.
“We are excited about this opportunity and playing over here against Argentina. It is never easy coming here.”
Kwagga Smith: “This is a huge opportunity for us ... but we cannot look too far ahead” - more here: https://t.co/Lm68SRMP9f 👍#Springboks #forevergreenforevergold
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Davids warned that they are playing against a side on a high after beating two southern hemisphere teams and that they have a good opportunity to win the Rugby Championship.
The Springboks, though, are the only unbeaten side in the competition and they would like to keep it that way as they look to wrap up the title with one game left to play next weekend.
“It will be important to focus on ourselves and stick to the plans we have made. We must play the game in the right areas and be ready for the challenges they offer, whether physical or with speed, and ensure we can handle that.
“We will always put a side on the field we believe can beat any team on the day and the guys we brought over are guys that have built up some experience of playing Test rugby and we are confident they can give a good account of themselves.
“We understand Argentina brings a different challenge than the other teams, but I think everyone is focused on this game and ensuring that we put ourselves in a good position to win and secure the Rugby Championship.”