Kolisi: 'We want to win the Rugby Championship'
REACTION: The Springboks kept themselves in contention for the Rugby Championship with a hard-fought 36-20 win over Argentina following a turbulent week for the team.
The win means South Africa are matched with New Zealand on 14 log points going into the final round next weekend.
The All Blacks host the Wallabies in Auckland and South Africa host Argentina in Durban in the last round.
The Springboks held a comfortable 22-6 halftime lead and weathered a strong fightback from the hosts before scoring two tries – by Damian de Allende and Malcolm Marx – in the last six minutes to seal the bonus point.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber said: “This was a semi-final for us, and it was a game of two halves.
“In the first half we played well and didn’t lie down, and then they fought back and we conceded penalties.
“But I must take my hat off to the players for keeping such calm heads toward the end of the game to pull it through.”
#REPORT: @Springboks power past @lospumas in Buenos Aires! #rugby #news #ARGvRSA @SanzarTRC https://t.co/GbQBaJCXvp
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) September 17, 2022
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi was equally proud of his charges.
“Our mindset was to come here and get maximum points, and even though the momentum changed in the game we always believed we could get the win, and we knew that involved using our opportunities,” Kolisi said.
“We had a good start to the game and Argentina came back nicely.
“But the biggest thing was to stick together as a group, and we said we want to win the Rugby Championship no matter what is going on around us.
“This is a special group of players.
“The coaches believe in us, and we believe in ourselves, and we have ambitions of doing much more.
“I’ve heard the match in Durban is sold out and we are excited to get home for a big game next week. We are looking forward to it.”
*Meanwhile, the Boks will be sweating over the injury of Damian Willemse.
The flyhalf was forced to leave the field in the 64th minute of play following a heavy tackle, which saw medics attending to him.
The 24-year-old managed to get up and walked off the field, however, he did not return and was replaced by Frans Steyn.
The head-knock is certainly a big concern for the Bok coach, who already have very limited options at flyhalf.
“I have yet to speak to the medical staff about Damian’s injury,” the Bok coach said.
“We will assess the injuries in the next two days and then make decisions on whether we have to bring in players next week.
“We only arrive in South Africa in the early hours of Monday, so it will be a short week for us but both teams will be in the same situation, so we will be on level playing field.”
#⃣OPINION: @King365ed rates the @Springboks players after their bonus-point win over a willing @lospumas team in #BuenosAires on #Saturday #RugbyChampionship 🏆#Rugbyunion 🌍#Rugby 🏉@SanzarTRC 🏅#ARGvRSA 🇦🇷V🇿🇦
🔗https://t.co/oz9Xp2MMri pic.twitter.com/zMc77CFGGG— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) September 17, 2022
