Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus expects a bruising, evenly matched Test against Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday night.
Several players are returning from injury for the Boks, while Los Pumas will field four debutants in their match 23. European club commitments and suspension has forced coach Felipe Contepomi’s hand in selecting a young squad.
“I think it’ll be a helluva grind, especially because many of the guys are returning from injury,” said Erasmus.
“They’ll be a little unsure in the game and need to find their feet, and we’ll need to help them with that.”
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Erasmus expects Argentina to face similar challenges.
“Just like them with a very young bench with not too many caps, we also have a bench with not too many caps. So I believe it’ll cost a very brave performance from both teams. I think it’ll be a very even contest.”
Returning flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, meanwhile, dismissed the idea that the Springboks will chase points at the expense of their game plan.
The 24-year-old said the world champions remain committed to the attacking blueprint that has served them well, but stressed that victory is the overriding objective.
“The same way Argentina want to score points, we want to score points too,” said Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
“I think we’re trained really well and for us looking to score points doesn’t mean doing crazy or silly things on the field.”
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The Stormers playmaker backed the Springboks’ established approach.
“We’ve got our recipe to score points and it’s worked quite well in my opinion over the past 24 months.”
But, he added, there is one priority above all else.
“Mindset-wise, of course we want to score points, but we want to win rugby matches more importantly.”
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Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
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Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus expects Saturday’s one-off Test against Argentina in Buenos Aires to be a fierce contest, with both sides fielding combinations short on experience.
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