Springboks Brace for Pumas Backlash in Rugby Championship Decider

Byron Lukas

Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi has downplayed the “favourites” tag as South Africa prepares to face Argentina in their Castle Lager Rugby Championship decider at Twickenham on Saturday. Despite emphatic recent wins over the All Blacks and Pumas, Mbonambi insists the Boks expect nothing less than a bruising contest.

“If you watch last week’s game, you’ll see it wasn’t as easy as the score may suggest,” he said via SA Rugby. “They’ll be hurting after last week, so we have a big challenge ahead. It’s definitely going to be an arm-wrestle of a match.”

A Championship on the Line

The Boks enter the clash top of the standings by a single point after a 67-30 victory over Argentina in Durban and a record 43-10 win over the All Blacks in Wellington. Saturday’s showdown offers the chance to clinch back-to-back Rugby Championship titles for the first time.

Mbonambi, named among the replacements, urged caution:
“When you think you are on top, you can be humbled quickly. We’ll respect them going into this match, but our preparation has been going well.”

Fierce Competition at Hooker

Mbonambi also welcomed the intense competition for the No. 2 jersey, with Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Marnus van der Merwe, and the experienced Malcolm Marx all pushing for selection.

“There’s competition in every position, but we love it. When you get your chance, you have to play as well as you can and do the job on the day,” he said.

Final Preparations

The Springboks took Thursday off for rest and mental preparation before their captain’s run on Friday. Kick-off is set for 15:00 (SA time), broadcast live on SuperSport.