Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick stressed the importance of closing off the home leg of their 2023 season on a high note before the team enters their Rugby World Cup warm-up games and said a victory would be special for many reasons.
The match – which kicks off at Emirates Airline Park at 17h05 on Saturday – will not only mark the team’s last game on local soil this season, it will also be Jacques Nienaber and assistant coach Felix Jones’ last home game as Springbok coaches and possibly Vermeulen’s last dance in the green and gold jersey in South Africa.
Stick said: “It would be stupid to write off Argentina, especially after their victory against Australia. They’ve delivered some fantastic results in the last two seasons, so you can never underestimate them. They are a good team and if we are off our game, they will punish us.
“Hopefully we can go out there tomorrow and rectify the things we did wrong against New Zealand.
“It’s also our last home game before the Rugby World Cup, so it’s important to deliver a good performance.”
The Springboks may still be in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship title race if Australia delivers a surprise result against the All Blacks in Melbourne on Saturday, but Stick took a realistic view about the team’s chances and said: “We didn’t touch on that as a team because that’s out of our control. The focus for us has been on playing well and giving Argentina the respect they deserve.”