PORT ELIZABETH - The Springbok pack produced a “bajada” of their own in Port Elizabeth, shoving the Argentines back with power and precision as a launchpad for their 37-15 victory on Saturday.
But Bok prop Coenie Oosthuizen is far from done. Oosthuizen produced a massive effort at the set-piece as well as in open play at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, and he had more than just a win to show for it as he also earned the man-of-the-match award.
And although he was a standout, the Sharks front-rower didn’t want to take the bulk of the credit for their scrummaging performance.
“I think our whole pack of forwards could be quite happy with their performance and the work ethic. From a scrumming perspective we achieved what we wanted to achieve, but there’s still so much more we can do right. But for the first Test we can be happy with that,” Oosthuizen said.
The Boks obviously did well at the set-piece against a team once feared for their “bajada”scrum, they really did, but Oosthuizen knows they are not only going to have to build on their performance in the Eastern Cape, but also erase all the little errors in the build-up to the return Test in Salta this Saturday.
“We might have matched them physically, but we’re going to have to step up in Salta. I think we need to improve on small details and the mistakes we made. I think the result will take care of itself. Going into next week our preparation needs to be good, and our mental preparation as well,” he said.
So it’s clear that the prop really wants to keep performing - and when asked where he draws his inspiration from to continuously produce his best, Oosthuizen said: “You play for something so much bigger than yourself. You play to inspire - not just your teammates, not just yourself - but the entire nation. And if that’s not inspiration enough I don’t think you’re going to get more than that."