Eben Etzebeth warns Springboks of 'angry' Argentinians in Rugby Championship decider

As a team, the Springboks have achieved plenty under head coach Rassie Erasmus over the past few years.

They’ve won the Rugby World Cup — once with Erasmus as director of rugby — and have defeated the British and Irish Lions with him part of the coaching staff.

However, one achievement still eludes the world champions and their seasoned coach: claiming back-to-back Rugby Championship titles.

That opportunity will present itself this Saturday at Twickenham (3pm kick-off) when they face Argentina in the decider. Veteran lock Eben Etzebeth says the team is focused on securing back-to-back titles for the first time in history.

South Africa will have a short week of preparation, and the 137-capped Etzebeth warned that they must be switched on from the first second to withstand the expected onslaught from the Pumas.

“We’ve achieved plenty under coach Rassie, but one thing we haven’t done in the history of South African rugby is to win the Rugby Championship two years in a row,” Etzebeth said.

“This is a big challenge for us, and it will be great if we can get it right this weekend. However, it is easier said than done. We know that Argentina will be angry and come back with plenty of hate if I can put it like that after the result of last Saturday.

“We are not going to sit back, though, and we will try and improve on that to deliver a strong performance that can ensure we win this tournament twice in a row for the first time.”

Etzebeth said the team will concentrate on the task at hand and not get distracted by anything off the field. While it is Argentina’s home match in the final round, the last time the Springboks played at Twickenham, they received strong support from South Africans living in England.

That is expected again on Saturday, with fans likely to paint the stadium green and gold, spurring on the world champions.

“The support is a bonus, but our priority is the job on the field. We know what is at stake, so we’ll put our effort into training and hope to get the result this weekend. If there’s a lot of South African supporters, that’s just a massive bonus,” Etzebeth said.

“Ultimately, we want to arrive on Saturday and play a great Test match.”