LONDON (Reuters) -South Africa are perceived to have an advantage in their decisiveRugby Championship clash against Argentina in London on Saturday, but captain Siya Kolisi said that was only the case if the performance matched their title ambitions.
The game is a home fixture for Argentina, who have decided to play at Twickenham, which is expected to be a sea of green with Springboks supporters hoping their side claim back-to-back trophy wins in the Southern Hemisphere championship.
South Africa thumped Argentina 67-30 in Durban last weekend, a result that took them top of the Rugby Championship table.
They have 15 points, one more than New Zealand and four ahead of Australia, who meet earlier on Saturday in Perth.
South Africa's +55 points difference is considerably better than both New Zealand (-6) and Australia (+1), meaning even a win without a bonus point will be enough, barring the most unlikely of results in Australia.
Now, rather than a daunting trip to Buenos Aires, Cordoba or Mendoza, the Springboks will complete their campaign in West London, which has been a happy hunting ground in recent years.
"It is only an advantage if we make use of it,” Kolisi told reporters on Friday. “I don’t know if it will be because it doesn’t matter how many Argentines (are in the crowd), you will hear them the whole game.”
Argentina have beaten New Zealand (home) and Australia (away) in this campaign, and Kolisi is expecting a backlash from what he said was an ever-improving side.
“It’s the fight they have compared to the years before, it is how consistent they have been in the way they play,” Kolisi said. “They have not taken away the Argentine flair and when it (the play) is broken, they take their opportunities.
“Against New Zealand and Australia, they were on their own goal-line, but went upfield to score, so you have to be alert at all times.”
South Africa can claim a sixth Rugby Championship title and retain the trophy for the first time, but Kolisi said they were not thinking of that yet.
“There are a couple of guys playing who have not won the Rugby Championship, so that is in the back of our minds,” he said. “To think about all these records now is not the time, we just want to focus on the performance.
“The important thing is to make sure we do the job tomorrow and then later we can reflect on these records.”
(Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Ken Ferris)
