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South Africa and Argentina first met on a rugby field in 1993, in a game played in Buenos Aires where the Pumas fought hard, before eventually going down 29-26.
They played again the following week at the same venue, FC Oetse, when the Springboks won by a margin of 52-23.
The Springboks dominated the standings between these two teams throughout the years, with South Africa averaging somewhere around 40 points per encounter until Argentina’s inclusion in the Rugby Championship.
Since 2012, the scores between these two sides read: 27-6, 16-16, 73-13, 17-22, 13-6, 33-31, 25-37, 12-26 and 24-13.
On August 8, 2015, the Pumas finally got their revenge, in Durban, beating the Springboks by 12 points.
Not only did they beat the Boks for the first time in their history, they beat South Africa in South Africa.
When you take the previous scores of 16-16, 17-22, 13-6 and 33-31 into consideration, an Argentine win had been on the cards for some time. However those scores, with the exception of 13-6, were in Argentina. So few guessed the Pumas would beat the Springboks away from home.
Argentina then performed brilliantly in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, beating Ireland by a hefty margin in the quarter-finals. They lost against a superb Australian side in the semi-finals, and in the bronze medal playoff, the Springboks exacted revenge.
This brought an end to what had been perhaps the greatest season of Argentine Rugby, where they beat both the Wallabies and Springboks in the Rugby Championship. While they haven’t come close to the All Blacks in recent years, they now have the belief they can beat either South Africa or Australia at home, and maybe even away.
This weekend they start their campaign against a fragile Springbok side in Nelspruit.
Pumas
The Pumas never take a backwards step against anyone. Once they sing their anthem and those passionate tears run, you know that you’re in for one hell of a tussle.
My biggest concern for the men from South America is the same it’s been since they played their first game in the tournament in 2012: discipline.
On face value, the Argentine squad possesses some of the most gifted rugby players in the world. Their players are fast, skilful and very aggressive. All of them, even the forwards, play the game at a high intensity. Once they get going it’s hard to stop them.
But their discipline costs them.
Now before the folks from Argentina start lighting their torches and sharpening their pitchforks, I am not suggesting that the Pumas are a dirty side. Nor am I suggesting they will have a full card collection by the end of their campaign.
The discipline I’m referring to is the kind where you put your hands where they don’t belong – like in a ruck on your own try line after the referee has numerously warned you not to.
This often costs them matches. Even in Super Rugby, a fair amount of the Jaguares’ yellow cards came from general technical inaccuracies and desperate attempts to prevent opposition tries – like coming into the ruck from an offside position to kill the ball only metres away from their try line.
The Pumas play their worst rugby when they become frantic and reckless; conceding penalty after penalty. Whenever the Pumas concede a few reckless penalties and the referee warns them for it, it tends to worsen things. They have to maintain their composure and their relationship with the referee, because the Springboks build momentum through penalties.
If Argentina can correct this, they have the running game, scrum and mobility to beat both South Africa and Australia on a more consistent basis. It all just depends on their discipline.
Springboks
In stark contrast to the build-up between the Wallabies and All Blacks, Springbok coach Allister Coetzee has paid respect to his opposition.
Coetzee has put emphasis on the fact that the Pumas should not be judged according to the performances of the Jaguares in Super Rugby, noting that the pride of the national jersey always has the desired effect on the Argentine players.
He has also tried to convince the South African public that the Springboks will not underestimate the opposition, and they will come out firing when that first whistle blows.
The coach seems painfully aware that the trust in the green and gold jersey is at an all-time low after shock defeats against Argentina, Ireland, Wales and Japan in the past few years, and he seems determined to show South Africa that he will not make the same mistakes as his predecessor, Heyneke Meyer.
The public, however, are far from convinced, after Coetzee sang a similar tune in the build-up to the June Test series against the Irish, and his team lost their first game of the season against a 14-man Ireland at Newlands.
The Boks narrowly beat Ireland in a comeback victory in Johannesburg, and the game in Port Elizabeth was won only by the heroic defensive efforts of scrum-half Faf de Klerk.
The best way to describe these three games is that they were totally unconvincing.
The second thing that Coetzee put an emphasis on in the past few weeks is that his team must improve in all facets of the game, not just one or two key areas. Then, this week, the coach said the kicking battle will decide the winner in Nelspruit.
This announcement was met with a sigh by South African fans, because it has been made in the last ten years of Springbok rugby to no end. You name the coach – be it Jake White, Pieter de Villiers or Heyneke Meyer – they’ve all said as much.
What’s more, why would you say that your team needs to improve in all facets and then only a week later say that whoever kicks best will win the game?
Now those who read my preview of the first Bledisloe match will know I believe a good tactical kicking game is crucial in Test rugby, and that I give the All Blacks’ tactical kicking game half the credit for their success.
Take nothing away from the importance of tactical kicking, but kicking alone will not make any team the dominant side in the world.
The Springboks fall back to this type of game whenever they are met with high pressure. Any advances toward a more balanced game are put on hold indefinitely when the national coach feels the heat from his country, and any Springbok fan hoping for it to be different this time around will likely switch off their TV disappointed on Saturday.
Make no mistake – Coetzee is under immense pressure. His team was awful in June, were lucky to make it out 2-1 series winners, and in the process he became the first national coach to lose against Ireland in South Africa.
Coetzee named his team on Thursday, and while it does look like an improvement compared to the selections in June – especially in the backline – it would seem the coach has gone forward with the national tradition of ignoring form players.
1. Tendai Mtawarira (78)
2. Adriaan Strauss (57)
3. Julian Redelinghuys (5)
4. Eben Etzebeth (47)
5. Lood de Jager (20)
6. Francois Louw (46)
7. Oupa Mohoje (8)
8. Warren Whiteley (6)
9, Faf de Klerk (3)
10. Elton Jantjies (5)
11. Bryan Habana (117)
12. Damian de Allende (16)
13. Lionel Mapoe (4)
14. Ruan Combrinck (2)
15 Johan Goosen (6)
Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi (1), Steven Kitshoff (1), Vincent Koch (2), Pieter-Steph du Toit (10), Jaco Kriel (1), Rudy Paige (3), Juan de Jongh (15), Jesse Kriel (12)
I can’t understand Coetzee’s selections.
There is no Malcolm Marx, with Stormers hooker Bongi Mbonambi on the bench. Coetzee has also opted to start Lood de Jager, who hasn’t played any rugby since June, to start ahead of arguably South Africa’s best performing locks, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Franco Mostert. The selection of Tendai Mtawarira over Steven Kitshoff is also baffling.
Oupa Mohoje’s selection doesn’t make sense, even with the quota demands of the government. Why should Mohoje – who isn’t even one of the top loose-forwards at the Cheetahs – start over the in-form Sikhumbuzo Notshe of the Stormers? Notshe has played so well this season that no one could call him a quota player.
Then Jaco Kriel has been ignored in favour of Francois Louw, who didn’t impress at all against Ireland. The injury to Duane Vermeulen means that Warren Whitely, quite rightly, makes his start in the number eight position.
The backline looks good, in its own way. On current form, Damian de Allende looks the only weakness.
The introduction of Johan Goosen at fullback, flanked by Ruan Combrinck and Bryan Habana, is the shining point. This is the most exciting back three unit the Springboks have had in years.
But breakout Lions centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg did not make the squad, nor did winger Courtnall Skosan, and I can’t wrap my head around Juan de Jongh being picked ahead of van Rensburg or Francois Venter.
Some Roarers have praised de Jongh for his role in the sevens squad at the Olympics, but seem to have forgotten he was mediocre for the Stormers earlier in the year.
This team is by far the most inexperienced side in the tournament. Only Habana has earned more than 100 caps, and there are only a handful of players who have earned more than 50.
Overall, the Springboks would do well to win. If they play the kicking game, they have to make sure that their defence is solid, as the Pumas have the ability to break the green line at will.
The question comes down to whether the Pumas will be mindful of their discipline, or whether this Springbok side can draw enough energy from the few players who are on form.
My prediction: Springboks by 2
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.