Springboks arrive in Argentina ahead of Los Pumas clash

The Springboks have arrived in Buenos Aires ahead of next week’s meeting with Los Pumas at Estadio Jose Amalfitani, with the squad set to return to full on-field preparations on Monday.

South Africa’s travelling groups flew from Cape Town to Buenos Aires via Sao Paulo on Saturday. They reached the team hotel shortly after midnight on Sunday morning, South American time, arriving within an hour of one another.

The players have been given Sunday off to recover from the long journey and adjust to the local conditions and time zone. Training will resume on Monday as the Springboks begin the final phase of their preparations for the encounter with Argentina.

“It’s great to be back in Buenos Aires, and we are looking forward to the challenge of facing the Pumas here once again,” said Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus.

The South Africa coach acknowledged the demands of the trip but said much of the planning for the match had already been completed during the team’s training camp in Johannesburg earlier in the week.

“It was a long journey, and there is a fair time difference between the countries, so the players will have time to rest and acclimatise today, and then we’ll return to the training field tomorrow[Monday].

“Fortunately, we did most of the groundwork for the match at our training camp in Johannesburg earlier this week, so we have a good base to build on in the next few days.”

The members of the squad who stayed in South Africa to prepare for the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tests against New Zealand are due to reassemble later on Sunday. They will also return to training on Monday.

Erasmus said South Africa remained on schedule in its wider preparations, with the Argentina fixture followed by their tour of New Zealand.

“We are on track in terms of our preparation for both this match and the New Zealand tour,” said Erasmus.

The Springboks will now use the next few days to build on the work completed in Johannesburg before facing Los Pumas in Buenos Aires. Erasmus is expected to consult his coaching staff later on Sunday before deciding when to announce the match-day squad for the Argentina game.