Boks wary of Pumas threat
Springbok assistant coach Johann van Graan remains all too aware of the threat the Pumas present at home in Salta, Argentina.
|||Cape Town - After a close-fought Test in Nelspruit against Argentina, Springbok assistant coach Johann van Graan remains all too aware of the threat the Pumas present at home in Salta, Argentina, on Saturday.
The embarrassment of a loss in Nelspruit in the Springboks' opening Rugby Championship game was narrowly averted thanks to a well-worked try at the eleventh hour, finished off by industrious No 8 Warren Whiteley.
Things won't get any easier in Salta for the Boks, who arrived in Buenos Aires via Sao Paulo earlier this week. The team will only fly out to Salta on Friday morning, but are preparing for what is expected to be a tough battle from their current Buenos Aires base. According to Van Graan, the team focused a lot on reviewing what happened in the Nelspruit Test and have had intense training sessions, concentrating on all parts of the game.
Friday will be spent acclimatising to the conditions in Salta, with a captain's practice ahead of the Test on Saturday afternoon. It will be the Springboks' first away match under head coach Allister Coetzee.
In their last encounter against the Pumas in very dry and hot Salta in 2014, the Boks sneaked away with a narrow 33-31 win.
The Argentinian team is always a different beast at home. “We spoke earlier about the last time we were here,” said Van Graan. “We had that wet Test match at Loftus [the week before], and came to desert-like conditions in Salta.” Van Graan, who was part of the Bok coaching staff at the time, recalls the scorcher.
“The last time we were here, the fire brigade came out and sprayed water on the people just to cool them down,” he said. “As you know, the Test match in Nelspruit was pretty wet and coming to Salta, with very dry weather, and very dry air, it's a very hostile environment. “There is barbed wire around the field; it's a fascinating place to play Test match rugby.”
“The Argentine people really support their team well - a lot of singing and a lot of noise, and the field seems a bit smaller. “It should be very hot, if you look at the weather conditions, with dry, quick fields. Hopefully, both teams will come out to play.”
Tighthead prop Vincent Koch will earn his first Bok start, among some of the changes made to last week's team that battled Argentina in Nelspruit, with replacement prop Lourens Adriaanse named on the reserve bench.
Veteran flyhalf Morne Steyn has also made his way onto the bench, at the expense of centre Juan de Jongh, with Coetzee opting for the safer bet in Steyn's experience and tactical kicking ability to counter the Pumas. - African News Agency (ANA)