A win for the Springboks against Argentina on Saturday at 23:00 (SA Time) at the Estadio Unico Madre Ciudades, would see them clinch the title for the first time since 2019 before the closing match of the tournament at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit next week Saturday.
Defeat for South Africa, however, would result in next week’s Test turning into a tournament final - the Boks currently hold an eight-point lead over Argentina in the standings.
Springbok lock Ruan Nortje, who will start in the engine room next to captain Salmaan Moerat, expects a massive forward battle and he emphasised the importance of matching the hosts physically.
“They are similar to the Springboks as they also pride themselves on their physicality, so we know they are not going to shy away from that in the game,” said Nortje. “But we prepared well this week, and we are excited about the challenge.”
At 26, Nortje may be one of the younger players in the team, but he relished the challenge of calling the lineouts in this crucial encounter.
“Calling the lineouts comes with its own pressure, but I enjoy it,” said Nortje.
“We know the quality of the pack we are coming up against and the standard of their game in general, but the systems we have in place take care of what we want to do, so it’s vital we stick to our structures on Saturday.”
Asked if he knew what to expect from the home crowd this weekend given all the talk about the hostile environment at the Argentinean stadiums, Nortje said: “The more senior guys have certainly prepared us for what to expect, so it’s important to get our mindsets right for a hostile environment and one of the toughest games one can play.”