Pumas seek 80-minute performance

Hourcade was speaking after his team threw away a 10-point lead in the final 10 minutes against the Springboks in Nelspruit at the weekend.

The Pumas were on course to bag their second consecutive win on South African soil after their victory in Durban last year.

However, the Springboks scored 17 unanswered points in the final 10 minutes to start their Rugby Championship with a 30-23 win.

The two teams will meet again in Round Two of the competition, but this time, Argentina will have the home comforts.

"We have to learn that the game is 80 minutes and we have to play for 80 minutes and not 70 minutes," Hourcade told reporters after the game.

"We put pressure on South Africa, which forced them to make many mistakes, but we did not put that pressure on them for the last 10 minutes and that is why they took advantage.

"We are going to try and maintain that pressure that we put on South Africa. In Salta, it is going to be a really hard game and we are going to work hard to try and win that game.

Hourcade added: "We did a lot of good things at the breakdown, on defence and also on attack.

"The contact area was an important area for us. I think we did not lose the one on ones, but playing against South Africa in that area is also very tough and we are trying to maintain that for next week in Salta."

Argentina captain Agustin Creevy said Saturday's loss was a disappointing one as they are a team trying to build a winning culture in the Rugby Championship

"We had a very good 70 minutes. Our goal is to not lose in the last few minutes or by just seven points. We are a team that wants to win games and that is why we are not happy today.

We are very frustrated. We are not the same team that played in the Rugby Championship four years ago. We feel we are good enough to win games," said Creevy.

By Warren Fortune

@rugby365com