Marx says Boks will need 80-minute performance to beat Pumas

Malcolm Marx is back in his familiar place with the Springbok ‘Bomb Squad’ and will be aiming to make a major impact as the world champions look to seal the Rugby Championship title in a grand finale against Argentina at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday (5pm).

Since returning from a long-term knee injury picked up at last year’s World Cup at the start of the international season, Marx has been trying to work his way back to top form.

However, that has seen a number of ups and downs, with him showing glimpses of his best form, but also struggling at times, as he did starting in the No 2 jersey over the past weekend in Santiago when the Boks suffered a surprise 29-28 loss to Argentina.

Bench impact

Marx has played the majority of his games for the Boks off the bench, so with Bongi Mbonambi back in the starting berth for Saturday’s match in Mbombela, Marx will be eager to make a trademark big impact off the bench this weekend.

“Everybody has a role and knows their role, whether you start or come off the bench. When I come off the bench I just try and make an impact in a positive way, and you try to do the same when you start,” explained Marx earlier this week.

“Each player just tries to do his best, whether you start or come off the bench, there is a broader picture. You know there are guys coming off the bench who are fresh and can just take over.

“If you come off the bench, you try to lift the intensity and try to bring different dynamics to the game as well. I don’t think there is a way that I approach the game differently if I start or not.”

Los Pumas challenge

Looking at the challenge that Los Pumas will bring as they chase an unlikely first Rugby Championship title, Marx says that they will be fired up and will go all out, and the Boks will have to lift their game to match that.

“They had a great game last week and this is the first time that they beat the Springboks, New Zealand and Australia in one season,” said Marx.

“This is also the first time they are in the running for the title, so it’s going to be an epic challenge, but we are looking forward to it. They are difficult to contain. We’ve trained hard this week, and we know what we have to correct from last week and do this week to pull things through.

“We had a good review of the game (in Santiago), and we identified where we can improve this week. We started off well and were unable to maintain that intensity until the end in Argentina, so it’s vital that we play for the full 80 minutes.

“That said, we know how tough it’s going to be to come away with a win this week, so we are under no illusions about the challenge ahead.”