Steyn has bigger goals

Springbok flyhalf Morne Steyn knows that he cannot afford to let his standards slip with the pressure set to increase on the away leg of the Rugby Championship.

Steyn delivered an assured performance against Argentina at Newlands on Saturday, maintaining a flawless goal-kicking record and earning praise from both coach Heyneke Meyer and captain Jean de Villiers for his composure under pressure.

"Morne trained well the whole week and I felt he would have a great game and I am just happy he delivered, that's the type of guy he is, he has got a lot of character and we needed him today," said Meyer after the match.

The Bok points machine had been the subject of much criticism in the lead-up to the competition following some indifferent displays for the Bulls in Super Rugby, but he bounced back well at Newlands and removed any doubts about the accuracy of his goal-kicking which had been wayward in the series against England in June.

Steyn explained that the break after Super Rugby had been vital for him as he was able to focus on his kicking and iron out the inconsistencies that have been creeping into his game this year.

"I think the two weeks break was awesome for us, it is two weeks that we haven't had in quite a while so I think the rest and the hard work off the field did us all well.

"I think I worked hard on my goal-kicking, put in the hard yards and luckily it paid off.

"I don't think there was a problem, I think it was just that one out of ten that you miss was happening out on the field on Saturday, so I didn't think it was a big problem for me," he said.

Steyn said that although it was satisfying to play a central role in the victory over the Pumas, he knows that he will have to maintain those standards in the coming weeks as the Boks face three tough away Tests.

"Next week the pressure is back on us again and back on me again to keep the form 100 percent otherwise the critics will come back again," he said.

By Michael de Vries