Cape Town — Siya Kolisi and Pablo Matera are two iconic figures of world rugby, and the Springbok captain cannot wait to get stuck into the Argentina stalwart in Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash in Buenos Aires (kick-off 9.10pm SA time).
Matera — a former Los Pumas captain — showed just how good he is by joining the Crusaders in New Zealand after leading the Jaguares to the 2019 Super Rugby final, and then winning the title with the Christchurch outfit.
The 29-year-old is a force across the pitch, whether as a ball-carrier, defender or scavenger at the breakdowns, so Kolisi and fellow loose forwards Jasper Wiese and Franco Mostert — as well as hooker Malcolm Marx — will have their hands full trying to contain the home side at the Estadio Libertadores de America.
But the South Africans themselves nullified the Wallabies in the race for the loose ball in their 24-8 victory in Sydney a few weeks ago, with skipper Kolisi leading the charge with a number of crucial turnovers and big hits in defence.
The Boks (nine points) will have to maintain their intensity and physicality if they hope to keep their Rugby Championship title hopes alive, as they need a bonus-point victory to stay in touch with the All Blacks (14 points), who beat the Wallabies 39-37 in Melbourne on Thursday.
“We just need to do what we do as a team, and that is making sure that we carry out the game plan, and also play what’s in front of us. They are all good — Matera is good over the ball, (openside flank Marcos) Kremer is good on the ball, (hooker and captain Julian) Montoya and (reserve hooker Agustin) Creevy as well,” Kolisi said from the Argentine capital on Friday.
“We know what to do as a team and just have to make sure that we look after the breakdown, because we can’t do anything without the ball. So, if we don’t look after the ball, they are going to score.
“They’ve got a very good kicking game — (wing Emiliano) Boffelli has been kicking very well and has been getting penalties from each guy making tackles and getting over the ball.
“So, us as the loose forwards have to do what we do: work together and manage the field. We have two guys playing wide and one in the middle …”
The 31-year-old No 6 also feels that the extra week spent in Buenos Aires will aid their cause on Saturday.
“Yes, it’s helped a lot. We’ve been able to adapt to the weather and how things are here. We’ve also had (time) to spend around Argentina – we’ve never been able to have that opportunity, and it’s been really amazing, some of the places we’ve gone to,” Kolisi said.
“Just to see the similarities between South Africa and Argentina has been one of the eye-opening things. We went to a township here as well, just to see what the people are doing and what they are going through. It was good for us to get to experience those things.”
IOL Sport