VIDEO: 'The two best teams are on top'
VIDEO: Springbok assistant coach Daan Human has lauded the Los Pumas for their performances in the Rugby Championship this season and warned how dangerous they will be in Mbombela on Saturday.
Human fronted a media briefing in Mbombela on Monday and said Argentina is in a great place as far as their results go in the Rugby Championship.
He also warned that a victory for the Springboks this weekend is not a forgone conclusion and South Africa do not have their hand on the trophy yet.
“We don’t have a hand on it yet [the trophy] and we know it is going to be very tough.
“It is the first time since they’ve [Argentina] been part of the Rugby Championship that they’ve had three good results in the competition against all three good teams that they’ve played.
“So they are in a great place as well. The two best teams are at the top at the moment,” Human said.
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The Test at the Mbombela Stadium will decide the winner of the 2024 Rugby Championship after the Boks’ 28-29 defeat in Stantiago del Estero last weekend, and Human said they had a lot to work on this week.
The Springboks, who are currently on 19 log points - five ahead of Argentina - only need one point from the match to guarantee their first Rugby Championship title since 2019, while they will also clinch the title if Argentina wins the match without a bonus point based on competition points.
The only permutation that would see Argentina claim the title for the first time, is if the visitors win with a try-scoring bonus point and deny the hosts a point, which would see Los Pumas crowned champions since they would have beaten South Africa twice.
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Human agreed that it was the top two sides in the Championship battling it out this weekend.
"At the moment we are focusing on one game, we are not looking at trophies - that can only happen if we beat them," the forwards coach said.
"We have to take a look at ourselves and where we can be better and then anything is possible.
"But there is going to be a lot of hard work in a short week.
"We are going to need everything to beat them.
"We always knew how tough it would be tough to play against Argentina at home and it was the first time some of our players played there, and hopefully they learned something from the experience.
"There certainly wasn’t a lack of effort from the team. That said, we have a lot to improve on," he stated.
Human also confirmed that everyone on the squad was fit and available for selection.
Scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse said the team was fully behind flyhalf Manie Libbok, who pushed a late penalty goal wide, which could have seen the team win the match in the final minute.
"When Manie was at the Sharks, I backed him 100%, even when he did something wrong.
"Coach Tony showed us in the review we had a lot of opportunities to clinch it," the No. 9 said.
Both Human and Hendrikse praised lock Eben Etzebeth, who is set to become the most capped Springbok of all time on Saturday after matching Victor Matfield’s record of 127 caps in Argentina.
"He’s a great person, a real team man and always willing to learn,” said Human. “Personally, if I think of a true Springbok, Eben certainly is that person."
Hendrikse added: "It’s a massive milestone to become the most capped Springbok. I remember watching him play as an 11-year-old boy, so I’m very proud of him, as the rest of the team."