Johannesburg - A fortnight in Buenos Aries, one of the great cities of the world, sounds like a bucket list adventure unless, of course, you have to deal with the passionate Pumas rugby team and after a few days of enjoying the Latino hospitality, the Springboks have turned to the task at hand.
That is what No 8 Jasper Wiese told the media from the cosmopolitan Argentine capital, where the Boks have been savouring the sights since they handsomely beat the Wallabies in Sydney.
Instead of coming home for their bye week, the Boks travelled to Argentina via Auckland, accompanied on the same plane by the Pumas, who had just had 50 put past them by the All Blacks, and after a few days off to enjoy the fine steaks that Argentina boasts, the Boks were back on the training field for next week’s penultimate Rugby Championship match.
“It felt great to break the drought in Australia with that win and the guys have taken a lot of confidence from it, but the decision by management to get us here as soon as possible was made to keep us in the mindset of still having a major job to do,” Wiese said.
“It is warmer than Australia, the city is very interesting and entertaining, but everybody knows what we are here for,” he added.
The Rugby Championship could not be tighter — New Zealand has 10 points and the other three countries have nine — with two rounds to go. The Wallabies and All Blacks play each other home and away and it is the same for the Boks and the Pumas, with the competition finishing at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on September 24.
“All of the teams will be playing for a bonus point at this stage and not just the win,” Wiese admitted. “We are certainly keeping in mind that we have a shot to win the Championship, and each team will tell you the same thing, so bonus points are very important.
“But first we must do our best and make our country proud, and if we do that and play to our potential, then the bonus point will look after itself.”
The Pumas will certainly be licking their wounds after getting a big smack in Hamilton after having surprised the All Blacks the week before in Christchurch, and they are now going to be on the same home ground where they beat the Wallabies by a record score.
“The Pumas are so tough on their home ground,” Wise admitted. “When you play abroad you have to deal with the home ground advantage but in Argentina, it seems to be even tougher. This is a very proud country and their players feed off their crowd and they never go away.
“Argentina are a passionate team and they have grown into a force to be reckoned with wherever they play,” Wiese continued.
“They proved this with their comprehensive 48-17 home win against Australia. They also beat New Zealand 25-18 away from home, so we are under no illusions about the challenge ahead.”
IOL Sport