The Springboks arrived in Argentina late on Saturday night and began preparations for their Rugby Championship clash against Los Pumas at Estadio Unico Madre Ciudades in Santiago del Estero.
The Boks flew to Buenos Aires via Sao Paulo and flanker Ben-Jason Dixon said he was excited about travelling to Argentina for the first time – and the challenge lying in wait.
READ | Boks primed for tough Los Pumas battle: ‘It’s definitely hostile over there’
A victory on Saturday would see the Boks secure their first Rugby Championship title since 2019. Los Pumas are the only other team in the running for the title with two rounds remaining.
The Boks hold an eight-point lead at the top of the standings over Argentina, and while Dixon said a victory would be fantastic, they were aware of the effort it would take to topple the hosts, who have beaten New Zealand and Australia in the competition so far.
“It’s amazing and so exciting to be here,” Dixon told the official Springboks website.
“A lot of people say it’s quite a hostile feeling playing in a stadium in Argentina where the fans really love their team and make it difficult for the opposition, although not in a bad way, they just won’t make it easy.
“But it’s a privilege to play against them here, and hopefully I’ll get a chance to play. Just being here is great because I’ve always wanted to visit South America. We also had a quick stopover in Sao Paulo on our way here, so I’m keen to see a little of Buenos Aires and to get back to training on Monday.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s Test, Dixon said their mindset would be to treat the game “like a final”.
“I’m sure everyone in the squad will zoom into the game that way, so that we can hopefully get the win,” said Dixon.
“They obviously like to play with the ball, so we cannot give them anything to pounce on, meaning the keys for us will be to control our possession and play well when we have the ball.”
Dixon added that he adapted quite easily to long journey to Argentina.
“Similarly to the Australia trip – which was also my first experience there – it was not bad. We could sleep a little on the airplane and we had a good night’s rest last night, so it worked out well.”
The Boks will begin their preparations for the clash in Buenos Aires on Monday and are set to travel to Santiago del Estero on Wednesday night. Coach Rassie Erasmus will announce his match-23 for the clash on Tuesday (20:00 SA time).
Saturday’s Test is scheduled for 23:00 (SA time).
