Springbok flyhalf Manie Libbok and loose forward Kwagga Smith expect a massive battle in the Rugby Championship clash against the Pumas in Durban on Saturday.
The teams will meet again at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham in London next Saturday in the closing match of the 2025 edition of the tournament – where, depending on the results in the next two rounds, it could prove to be the title decider.
Both Libbok and Smith, however, were fully focused on doing what they had to this weekend for the Boks to stay in the race to defend the title they won for the first time since 2019 last year, especially with all four participating teams in the series still in with a fair shot of lifting the trophy.
Zoning in on Argentina’s backs, Libbok said: “Many of their players have sevens rugby backgrounds, and they are quick and agile with a great skillset, so we know we have a big challenge on our hands this weekend, but we are looking forward to it.
“They are also very good in the aerial battle, which is an area we also pride ourselves on, so it’s also going to be a key battle in the match.”
Smith spoke equally highly of the Pumas loose forwards, and expected a fierce forward battle: “They have very mobile loose forwards who get around the park, and they are also good at winning turnovers, so we are expecting a big challenge in that department. Over and above that, their pack is physical in general, and they play hard rugby, so they’ll challenge us there this weekend.”
“They’ve grown a lot over the last few years, and they have a good balance between senior and younger players, which is a combination that makes them very strong.”
When asked about how he felt about his performance off the replacements bench and in his goal kicking in the team’s record 43-10 victory against the All Blacks in Wellington, Libbok remained humble.
“It was good to come off the bench and fulfil the role that was expected of me,” said the flyhalf.
“We took a lot of confidence from the way we trained that week, and it was great to see how everything came together in the second half.
“Handre [Pollard], Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] and I work really well together and push one another really hard, and that definitely brings the best out of all of us.”
“I’ve put a lot of work into my goal-kicking, and it’s good to see the hard work pay off, so I’ll certainly keep working it and always do my best.”
