The Springboks have officially closed the chapter on their South American expedition and shifted their crosshairs entirely to the upcoming Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series against New Zealand.
Following a gruelling 17-10 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires, the travelling squad returned to South African shores in split groups between Monday and Tuesday. The players immediately underwent gym flush-out sessions to shake off the long-haul travel fatigue.
The focus now turns to Johannesburg, where the entire training camp squad, including the high-performance group that remained behind in South Africa to condition specifically for the All Blacks, will reassemble on the training field this Friday and Saturday.
Springbok utility back Canan Moodie, who earned a start at outside centre against Los Pumas, believes the dogfight in Argentina was exactly what the team needed to simulate the high-pressure environment of an All Blacks Test.
"We got out of that game what we wanted to, so now it's full focus on the All Blacks series," Moodie said. "They've already played against the DHL Stormers and the Hollywoodbets Sharks, so we'll be dialled into what they're doing, and preparing as best we can."
For the 23-year-old rising star, the primary value of the Buenos Aires clash lay in getting heavy match mileage into key returning personnel. Coach Rassie Erasmus utilised the fixture to test player combinations and hand critical game-time to stars returning from injury layoffs, including captain Siya Kolisi, locks Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager, flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and scrumhalf Morne van den Berg.
"I think a lot of the boys who returned from injuries aren't quite match-fit yet, so getting 80 minutes was very important," Moodie explained. "It wasn't easy, but the guys showed a lot of character. Hopefully, we can carry that into the next Test series, and when it gets tough, we can dig deep and get the result."
While South Africa will enjoy home-ground advantage for three of the four upcoming Tests, Moodie stressed that surviving a partisan Argentine crowd was a vital psychological stepping stone for the younger players in the squad.
"It was very big," Moodie reflected on the hostile atmosphere. "As players, we were well prepared for what was to come against Argentina. A lot of the boys hadn't played there before, but it was about sticking to our systems and doing what we wanted to as a team.
"It took a lot of character, but our systems were there backing us against the fatigue, their long kicking game, and a hostile crowd. That worked out for us."