Bok backline set to thrill? It depends on the Pumas, says Nienaber

The Springbok game plan for their final Rugby Championship clash against Los Pumas at Ellis Park on Saturday will heavily depend on what the visitors bring to the party, according to coach Jacques Nienaber.

At the Boks’ team announcement presser on Tuesday afternoon Nienaber named a thrilling backline featuring a number of exciting players that could put on a running clinic if given the chance.

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An exciting back three featuring deadly finishers Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse and backed by the dependable Willie le Roux, who holds the Bok record for try assists, will be unleashed in the match.

A very exciting potential partnership could also develop at halfback where the fleet-footed Grant Williams has been paired up with an attacking maverick in Manie Libbok and should they be given the space they could tear the Argentinean defence to shreds.

Chance to impress

However, Nienaber claims that the management is not focused on a running game plan and that they just want to give as many players as they can a chance to impress and get precious minutes under their belt.

“I don’t know if this is a squad that will run the ball. That will probably be determined by what Argentina give us in terms of defence,” explained Nienaber.

“There are only four more matches before we kick off our World Cup campaign so it’s a fine balancing act to give all the players a chance to stake a claim for places while selecting teams that we believe are best equipped for the opposition we’ll face.

“So the key thing for us is to try get a performance out the team while winning matches and spreading the load between the players.”

Although there are a number of inexperienced players in the side to face Argentina, Nienaber believes they have more than enough firepower to beat them.

“This is a quality team that will offer us the skills we need against Argentina. It also contains a good balance of experience and youth, which is vital as we build toward the World Cup,” said Nienaber.

“The result in New Zealand was bitterly disappointing, but we came into the season with a plan that will hopefully allow us to select the best possible squad for the World Cup and peak at the right time.”

Force to be reckoned with

Los Pumas suffered a big home defeat against the All Blacks in their opening Rugby Championship match, but bounced back with an impressive away win against the Wallabies Down Under and they will attempt to take that momentum into this weekend’s match.

“The Pumas showed in their last two games that they can be a force to be reckoned with, so we have to be sharp from the get-go, be accurate in our execution on attack and defence, and use the opportunities we create,” said Nienaber.

“They pride themselves on their set pieces, they are very dangerous at exploiting your mistakes, and they never stop fighting which makes them a challenging opponent.

“But that said, we know where we went wrong in our last match, and we are determined to correct the wrongs from that day and get our season back on track.

“We are anticipating a hard-fought battle and we know we need to be focused for the full 80 minutes, but we are ready to go out there and give everything.”