Springboks turn full focus to four-Test All Blacks rivalry

South Africa have switched their attention to the inaugural Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series against New Zealand after returning home from a 17-10 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires.

The Springboks’ travelling squad arrived back in South Africa in two groups on Monday night and Tuesday, with players completing recovery sessions in the gym after the long journey.

The full training-camp squad, including those who stayed in South Africa to prepare for the RGR series, will return to the training field in Johannesburg on Friday and Saturday.

South Africa and New Zealand will meet on four successive weekends in the series, presented by Castle Double Malt. The opening Test will take place at 10bet Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 22 August, followed by matches at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on 29 August and FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on 5 September.

The fourth and final Test will be played at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, United States, on 12 September.

Canan Moodie, who started at outside centre in South Africa’s win over Los Pumas, said the match in Buenos Aires had given the squad valuable preparation for the challenge ahead.

“We got out of that game what we wanted to, so now it’s full focus on the All Blacks series,” said Moodie.

“They’ve already played against the DHL Stormers and the Hollywoodbets Sharks, so we’ll be dialled into what they’re doing, and preparing as best we can.”

The 23-year-old utility back said the Argentina Test had been particularly useful for players returning from injury, many of whom needed a demanding 80-minute international before facing New Zealand.

Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager returned in the second row, while Siya Kolisi featured at flanker. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu came back at fly-half and Morne van den Berg at scrum-half. The match also allowed Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus to continue developing combinations within his squad.

“I think a lot of the boys who returned from injuries aren’t quite match-fit yet, so getting 80 minutes (of game time) was very important,” said Moodie.

“It wasn’t easy, but the guys showed a lot of character, and hopefully we can carry that into the next Test series, and when it gets tough, we can dig deep and hopefully get the result.”

South Africa will have home advantage in three of the four Tests against the All Blacks. Moodie believes, however, that dealing with the atmosphere in Buenos Aires was valuable preparation for the Castle Lager Double Malt RGR series.

“It was very big,” said Moodie. “We were well prepared for what was to come against Argentina and a lot of the boys hadn’t played there before, but it was about sticking to our systems and doing what we wanted to as a team.

“It took a lot of character, but our systems were there backing us against the fatigue, their long kicking game, and a hostile crowd, and that worked out for us.”

The Springboks will face the Wallabies in a one-off Test in Perth on Sunday, 27 September, after the four-match series against New Zealand.