Boks will eliminate ‘silly errors’ against Argentina in Mbombela

The Springboks will take the lessons learnt in their 29-28 defeat against Los Pumas in Santiago del Estero into the deciding match of the Rugby Championship at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday.

Bok loose forward Elrigh Louw said though he was devastated after the defeat in Argentina, it would be a dream come true to lift the trophy.

The Springboks gained a valuable losing bonus point from the clash at Estadio Unico Madre Ciudades, which saw them jump to 19 points on the table. Argentina finished the fifth round with 14 points. This means the Boks need only a point from their closing match of the tournament in Mbombela to clinch their first title since 2019.

Louw, one of a handful of players in Bok coach Rassie Erasmus’ match-day team that played his first Test in Argentina, said they were not caught off-guard by the vocal home crowd and Los Pumas’ physicality and tenacity. He shared Erasmus’ sentiment that South Africa missed a few chances that could have seen them win the match.

“We all knew what we were going to face and be up against in Argentina with the hostile crowds,” Louw said.

“Going to play in Santiago del Estero wasn’t easy, but we learnt a few lessons we’ll take into next week’s game.

“In the first few minutes we executed things well, played our game and took things to them. But then we made silly errors and slipped tackles which let them back in and with the crowd behind them, it’s something you don’t want.

“So we’ll make sure we take what we learnt from the game into the next one.”

Louw said the Boks are pleased they are still in pole position to claim the title.

“We obviously wanted to beat them there, but the motivation will always be there. So, we’ll take the battle to Mbombela and go from there.”

Reflecting on his international season this year and being involved in this Springbok group, where he has become a regular in the squad, Louw said: “This probably rates as the top highlight for me so far, and lifting the Rugby Championship trophy would be awesome.

“It’s not something I thought I would be able to achieve and we are only a game away from possibly doing it. So I’m very motivated and can’t wait for next week.”

The team arrived in Mbombela on Sunday evening and were to begin their programme for the week on Monday.

SA Rugby