Springboks remain coy over RC record on the line in London

Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick and captain Siya Kolisi played down talk of history as their side prepare to face Argentina in The Rugby Championship decider at Twickenham on Saturday.

Victory would see South Africa claim back-to-back titles for the first time, but Stick insisted the Boks’ focus was on performance rather than silverware.

“Breaking records is nice, and so is winning competitions, but the quality of our performance will be the most important aspect for us because we also have a tough end-of-year tour coming up,” said Stick.

The Springboks, who lead the All Blacks by one point, will know exactly what is required to secure the trophy by the time they run out. Stick, however, warned against complacency after last week’s 67-30 win over the Pumas in Buenos Aires.

“Last week we scored, and then they would score, and we conceded penalties that kept them in the game. Argentina have beaten New Zealand and Australia, so if we don’t learn from that we’d be silly,” he said.

“They are a good side, desperate, with world-class players mixed with youngsters. It’s important we lay a strong foundation up front and the backs deliver a skillful performance.”

Kolisi echoed the sentiment: “Last week was tough, and we only broke through after 60 minutes. Although we cannot control the result, the magnitude of this match makes it huge, and we are looking forward to it.

“There are guys in our team who haven’t won this competition before, and we want to honour them. But setting records is not our focus. It’s about performance and doing the job tomorrow.”

Stick added that Argentina’s squad selection underlined the threat: “A lot of their players have a Sevens background, so if we are not at our best, it will be a long day. They will pitch up mentally and emotionally, and we know they are capable of punishing the opposition.”