Springboks will be wary of the beasts in the blue-and-white jerseys...

THE SPRINGBOKS know better than to just focus on Argentina’s scrum in preparation for their Rugby Championship-opener at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Saturday (5pm kickoff ).

In the build-up to the Test, Bok scrum coach Matt Proudfoot said they had focused on a few areas they thought would be crucial in building on the progress evident after their series whitewash over the French in June.

He mentioned the aerial game – an area that the Pumas are very familiar with – as one of those areas they focused on.

And yesterday, attack coach Franco Smith also emphasised they know the Argentinians are not going to make it an easy afternoon.

“We know they will bring something different. It will be a different Argentinian side to the one we saw in Super Rugby,” Smith said.

“I believe they are full of confidence and they play to their strengths. They like to open the game up and it is going to be important for us to be ready for the challenge. The first phase will be the big match for us, so we have to work hard at settling down in our own systems.

“They can create anything from nothing, and therefore the attention this week has been on preparing for a complete onslaught and not just certain aspects.

As Smith alluded to, the Pumas will pose a threat in more than one area.

Firstly, we all know that Argentina’s scrum is strong, and if they opt to use their famous Bajada technique, it’s an even tougher battle.

But whether or not they will use the Bajada – which focusses all the pack’s effort to the hooker – will only be seen on Saturday, after all, the technique has drifted in and out of use over the years.

But their scrummaging is, nonetheless, one of their strengths, and the Boks will obviously have to be on point in this department.

And again, it’s not just the scrums they will need to watch.

The Argentinians are strong when it comes to their set-phases in general – their mauling is solid and their breakdown work is also something that can wreak havoc on the opposition.

Speaking of the Pumas’ breakdown ability – the Springboks will get the ideal test to measure their breakdown work and to also assess their loose forwards in this facet.

Both their attacking and defensive breakdown is something that is not easy to deal with, and earlier in the week, Smith also mentioned that it is the Argentinians’ breakdown work that has been especially great over the last few years.

They can attack from the set-piece and can be equally dangerous in broken play, so there are a number of areas and players that will be key on Saturday.

And right at the top of that list will be hard man Agustin Creevy – the skipper who is always a threat with his work at the breakdowns, in the set-pieces and his ability in the loose.

Other dangerous customers include flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez, flank Pablo Matero, fullback Juan Martin Hernandez, lock Tomas Lavanini and scrumhalf Martin Landajo

There will be several players the Boks have to watch on Saturday, along with those many areas.

But the Springboks seem to know what to expect – an all-out battle.

Because, as we all know, the Argentinians are a completely different beast when they put on the blue-and-white national jersey.