Pumas hard nut to crack – Whiteley
ARGENTINA may have been beaten twice by the Springboks since their historic victory against South Africa in the Rugby Championship last year‚ but the South Americans will be fired up when they meet the Boks in Nelspruit on Saturday.
The Pumas caused an upset in the build-up to the World Cup when they beat Heyneke Meyer’s side 37-25 in Durban for the Argentines’ first win against South Africa.
The Boks redeemed themselves with a 26-12 win in Argentina in a World Cup warmup match the week that followed, before a 24-13 victory to claim the bronze medal at the World Cup in England.
The Boks expect an inspired Argentina side to attempt to repeat the feat at Kings Park, when the sides meet in the Rugby Championship opener at the Mbombela Stadium.
“The Pumas play on emotion,” Springbok No 8 Warren Whiteley said. “They are passionate and will definitely make a step up. We know how tough they are to beat.
“They have regrouped and will be fired up,” he said.
The Argentines have grown stronger from their participation in the Rugby Championship with the Boks‚ Australia and the world champions‚ the All Blacks. “They are extremely physical and have a fantastic set piece‚” Whiteley said.
“They are a team that, first and foremost, you need to front up against physically before you can do anything.
“They will challenge us up front‚ so we need to step up to that challenge. It is not going to be easy for us.”
The Boks registered a 2-1 series win against Ireland in the mid-year international series.
Following the hard-fought series win‚ the South African side is hoping to continue improving under new coach Allister Coetzee‚ who will be taking charge of his first Rugby Championship at the helm.