Springboks send warning shot ahead of Pumas Tests

The Springboks will keep their feet on the ground and look to sharpen up their game as they head into the final two Rugby Championship Tests against Argentina in two weeks.

After beating New Zealand 43-10 in Wellington on Saturday, the world champions revived their campaign, with their focus now shifting to the unpredictable Argentinians, whom they’ll face in Durban and at Twickenham.

South Africa’s two-try hero in Wellington, Cheslin Kolbe, praised the efforts of his teammates as they took down the All Blacks with a fairly untested backline, scoring six tries on their way to the emphatic win.

Kolbe opened the scoring with an interception, sprinting about 70 metres to cross untouched, while his second came from brilliant interplay between the backs and forwards off a dominant scrum. He still had to show some nifty footwork to beat New Zealand winger Leroy Carter and dive over the try line in the corner.

Though forced off the field in the second half due to injury, the double World Cup winner was pleased with how the game unfolded. The Boks claimed the Freedom Cup for the second year in a row and climbed to second place in the official standings. They also reclaimed the No. 1 world ranking.

“We would’ve wanted to win last week (at Eden Park), but God had different plans. Keeping the Freedom Cup is special, though,” Kolbe said.

“This was a very special match for us as a team and as a country. We are excited about the result and owed ourselves a good performance after last weekend.

"Everybody did their best. I am immensely proud. Obviously, when the team was announced with a young backline and me being one of the older guys, there was a lot of positive energy.

“The guys showed what they are made of and that they want to play for positions in this team. That is one thing about the squad — whoever gets the opportunity, we back them 100%. We just ensure that when they go into these kinds of games, they are confident and back themselves. Credit must go to the coaches for making us comfortable in the week.”

Despite the record victory over the Kiwis, Kolbe feels there are still areas to improve. They squandered a couple of chances in the first half, and the winger could have had a hat-trick if he had held onto a kick over the try line. Unfortunately, he spilled the ball in contact as he crossed.

Those early setbacks did not deter the world champions, who emphatically hammered the All Blacks, scoring six tries to New Zealand’s one.

They now turn their attention to back-to-back clashes against Los Pumas in two weeks, with the first Test at Kings Park on 27 September and the second a week later at Twickenham.

“We will take things week by week,” Kolbe added.

“We should not get ahead of ourselves by thinking about claiming the title. We need to look back on this game and see where we can improve.

"Argentina is playing great rugby, and I am sure it will be a good challenge. The hopes are there, but we must take it training by training and game by game.

“It is always a physical battle against them, but we must keep the focus on us. We need to be clinical, disciplined, and play in the right areas of the field,” he concluded.