I always feel that the Springboks usually perform at their worst when they play the Pumas in the Rugby Championship, and this was proven again in their recent clash in Mendoza last weekend.
Most rugby fans will just say that the Pumas played well and the Boks played poorly. This in essence is true, but there has been a historical trend of poor Springboks performances in Argentina, and from a Bok-supporter’s perspective I can’t help but feel it ought to be different.
I am not saying the Boks should always beat the Pumas when playing in South America, but I do bemoan a string of historically lacklustre performances by the men in green and gold against Los Pumas.
The Springboks vs Pumas head-to-head stats show that the Boks have historically dominated against Los Pumas. When you look at the results in Argentina in isolation you get a very different story.
It all started in 1993 when Argentina beat South Africa 26-29 in Buenos Aires. The Boks of that era quickly learnt their lesson and went on to win all of their other encounters against the Pumas in Argentina in the 1990s.
The Pumas played the Boks nine times in Argentina since 2000, winning only twice and drawing once. They lost four of those games by only five points or less. This to me suggests that the Boks have historically always struggled against Los Pumas in Argentina.
In that light the recent Boks loss against Argentina should not come as a big a surprise, especially against a Pumas side that seems to be at their best and improving.
(Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images)
Is it possible that the Springboks have problems motivating themselves for their games in Argentina? Or are the Pumas just extra motivated to take on the Boks in their own backyard?
Could it be that the conditions in Argentina just don’t suit South African players? The Boks have proven to be poor travellers, not only to Argentina but also to Australia and New Zealand. The Springboks and and the Pumas have to travel more than their Aussie and Kiwi counterparts.
It is probably a combination of these factors and others that give the Pumas an advantage against the Boks in their Patagonian clashes.
Another important factor could be that the Springok teams that played in Argentina have often experimented with new combinations and players when they should’ve focused on winning first. Maybe Rassie Erasmus is just using this Rugby Championship as a chance to prepare for the 2019 World Cup.
Whatever the science of it is, I do believe the Boks should prepare better and respect their Argentinian opponents more. Most Boks supporters, including me, still think of the games against the Pumas as the easy fixtures of the Rugby Championship, and I imagine the players often have the same thought in the backs of their minds too.
I am taking nothing away from the Pumas’ recent victory over the Boks, though. Theirs was a well-deserved win, and you are only as good as your opponent allows you to be. Two teams took to the field and one was better.
It is clear to me if the Boks want to avoid having more salt rubbed into their wounds or getting the bulldozer in Mendoza, they will have to learn to lift their game in clashes with the Pumas.
Stanthefootballfan
Roar Rookie
Couldn't agree more! Cheers, Machooka!
Machooka
Roar Guru
Missed this one yesterday Stan... good read on your Bokke having just recently lost to those meat eating Bargies b@$+@rd$ in Mendoza... and possibly why. I think the general rule when playing in Argentina in Argentina is beware... be very aware! Congrats on your first published piece here on da ROAR :)
Stanthefootballfan
Roar Rookie
The first Springbok game I ever attended was an unofficial test match against the South American Jaguars in the mid 1980's at Loftus Versveld in Pretoria. Hugo Porta was the genuis flyhalf of that Jaguar team that consisted mainly of Pumas. If memory serves me correctly, even back then, the Jaguars beat that "invincible" Springbok team in one of the tests (on home soil to boot) to cause a major upset. The Springboks have often had a tendency to sometimes underestimate their South American counterparts.
Stanthefootballfan
Roar Rookie
You are right. My bad. In 1993 South Africa toured Argentina for the first time. They beat Argentina 26-29, and 23-52, in Buenos Aires. My point was that the Springboks, although always starting as the favourites against the Pumas, historically had many close games against them in Argentina, suggesting the Boks has never really had that much of the upper hand there.
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
I am not so sure about the 1993 issue as well. I watched the "Gazelles" play in Argentina way before 93. They played in Ferro Carril Oeste stadium in Buenos Aires. I recall vividly the play of Morne Du Plessis as a fabulous number 8. South Africa used to play Argentina and called their team Gazelles instead of Springboks for a long time. Slightly different animal from the Savannah but good meat for a Mountain Lion anyway.
Shop
Roar Guru
It is easy to assume that playing los Pumas are the easier matches of the championship and there is truth to this if you look at the rankings. The fact is though, with the exception of NZ, these days any of the top 10, even 15 teams can beat each other on their day. So really, there are no easy fixtures in the RC or the 6 nations for that matter. I don’t recall the Pumas beating the Boks in 1993??