Malcolm Marx

Irish club Munster have poured cold water on the idea of signing Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx from his Japanese club. Photo: SA Rugby

Springboks lauded for remaining calm as Pumas clawed back

Jacques Nienaber has lauded the mindset of the Springboks after his side were able to secure the bonus point victory in Argentina.

Malcolm Marx

Irish club Munster have poured cold water on the idea of signing Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx from his Japanese club. Photo: SA Rugby

Jacques Nienaber has lauded the mindset of the Springboks after his side were able to secure the bonus point victory they needed to keep the All Blacks under pressure in the final round.

The Springboks beat the Pumas 36-20 on Saturday night, but had to weather a ferocious fightback from the hosts who have snatched historic victories over Australia and New Zealand already this season.

Nienaber was happy with how the players rose to the challenge and executed their plans.

Springboks
Siya Kolisi and Jacques Nienaber after the Springboks victory over the Pumas. Photo: SA Rugby

“This was a semi-final for us, and it was a game of two halves,” said Nienaber.

“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.”

Nienaber could be faced with a selection headache after Damian Willemse went down injured possibly leaving the coach without a seasoned No 10.

“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 morning, 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.”

Springboks skipper delighted

Skipper Siya Kolisi was more than pleased with the effort and cannot wait to lead his team out onto Kings Park in front of a sold-out crowd next week.

“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.

“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 Castle Lager Rugby Championship.

“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.

“It was great to get this this win for our country and the people behind us,” said Kolisi. 

“That is always our ambition as a team. This week we made a point of working as hard as we can despite everything happening around us.”