The Puma trap Boks have to avoid
STAT ATTACK: The Springboks’ clash against Argentina is one of similar styles, which could lead to the Rugby Championship holders falling into a trap.
The Boks and Los Pumas have lethal attacking backs and play a brand of rugby that’s appealing to the eye and gets the job done more often than not.
Their attacking statistics this season so far make for interesting reading.
The Boks are ranked second for points scored.
They boast an average of 28 points scored compared to Argentina’s 26.3, who are ranked third, ahead of the All Blacks (24.4).
The Boks are ranked second for tries scored with an average of 3.5 per game, and Argentina last for an average of two.
This is where things get tricky.
The Boks average 7.8 linebreaks per match (ranked second), and are ranked top for offloads (8.5 per match).
Argentina are just behind the defending champions with eight offloads per match in second place and in third spot for linebreaks (4.3).
Then of course, there’s the defensive factor.
The Boks are ranked third for missed tackles, averaging 28.5 per match, with Argentina doing slightly better on 22.5 per match in second place.
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These statistics suggest that the team that deviates from its structure and allows the match to get loose will most likely be punished.
Bok attack coach Tony Brown is well aware of the threats Los Pumas pose.
He emphasised that the Boks will avoid falling into the trap of allowing the match to get unstructured, which will play right into the hands of Argentina.
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“They’re an excellent side who love to move the ball and make the most of every little opportunity they get,” Brown told @rugby365com.
“And Argentina likes it ‘the looser the better’.
“The challenge for us is to prevent giving them the looseness they want and thrive on.
“And also to implement our game plan and ensure our attack and defence synchronise, including our set-piece on them. That will be the challenge.”
Los Pumas, in recent years, managed to score at will against the Boks for the exact reasons mentioned by Brown.
In 2022, the Boks had to defeat Argentina by 40 points to win the Rugby Championship.
Although South Africa won the game, their desperation to get to a target margin meant they left themselves exposed on a couple of occasions.
They won the match 38-21, but fell short of their points target to clinch the title.
Last season, the Boks squandered a 17-0 lead to lose 28-29 in Santiago del Estero.
The defeat came mainly through discipline issues, but also due to allowing the match to become loose.
The following week in Nelspruit, they came back with a masterclass display to shut Argentina down from minute one and defeated them by 48-7 to claim the Rugby Championship.
On Saturday at Kings Park, they’ll need a similar performance as they did a year ago against the same opposition.
Bonus points could be a deciding factor in this competition, with all four teams still in the running for the title.
The Boks will aim to get the full house and deny Argentina any log points.
The Bledisloe Cup matches between Australia and New Zealand are just as critical to the outcome of the competition, and every single point will count for all teams in the tournament.
