The Springboks are treating Saturday's one-off Test against Argentina with total seriousness. Assistant coach Deon Davids completely dismissed suggestions that South Africa is viewing the clash in Buenos Aires as merely a warm-up fixture for the highly anticipated Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series against New Zealand.
The squad landed in Argentina early Sunday morning and immediately got to work, kickstarting their field training on Monday.
“It’s a big Test match for us,” Davids said. “It has never been easy, especially in Buenos Aires, so we must improve in the areas of our game in which we would like to. We are very clear in terms of what we want to achieve. Our focus will be on ourselves and trying to play the way we want to against a formidable opponent.”
Davids was adamant that looking ahead to the rest of the 2026 season would be a critical mistake.
“I've been very clear about this: our focus is on Argentina. We want to do our best to win a Test match for South Africa while continuing to build for the rest of the season. We are not focusing on any other game right now. This week is all about Argentina. Every Test match is important for our country and what we stand for as a team.”
The assistant coach knows exactly what kind of emotional and physical onslaught to expect at the Estadio José Amalfitani.
“They are a very passionate team, especially at home, and it has always been a case of grinding it out right until the end against them,” Davids explained. “If you come to Argentina with the mentality of seeing it as a warm-up game, you would make a big mistake. They have their own goals. They want to win, improve, and prove they belong on the biggest stage.”
Davids also noted that Los Pumas are successfully blending world-class experience with a new wave of talent: “They want to build their team depth with their brilliant youngsters coming through. It's going to be a passionate, gutsy Test match and a good challenge.”
The Springboks' tactical outlook received a massive boost with the news that veteran locks Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager have returned from injury. They are joined by fit-again playmaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
“It's fantastic to have Eben and Lood back, and also the other players who were injured and haven't played in a while, such as Sacha and the other guys,” Davids said. “They're experienced players, and they mean a lot in our system.”
“Fortunately, we had a very good build-up to this game at our camp in Johannesburg last week. This is a fantastic opportunity for them to play as we build towards the rest of the season.”