Springboks: Malcolm Marx pinpoints key area of improvement needed against ‘difficult to contain’ Argentina

Springboks hooker Malcolm Marx is preparing himself for a tough encounter when they take on Argentina in their Rugby Championship clash in Nelspruit on Saturday.

South Africa will be determined to turn the tables on their South American opponents after Los Pumas claimed a shock 29-28 victory over the world champions in the corresponding fixture in Santiago del Estero last week.

Heading into this weekend’s showdown at the Mbombela Stadium the Boks are still at the top of the Rugby Championship standings with 19 points amassed from their five matches played while Argentina are in second position – five points adrift – while New Zealand (11) and Australia (5) occupy third and fourth spots respectively.

Boks need one point to win Rugby Championship

That means South Africa need only one point from their clash with Los Pumas or to suffer a defeat without Argentina claiming a bonus point to lift the Rugby Championship as winners for the first time since 2019 and Marx is excited about the possibility.

“They had a great game last week and this is the first time that they beat the Springboks, New Zealand and Australia in one season,” he said.

“This is also the first time they are in the running for the title, so it’s going to be an epic challenge, but we are looking forward to it. They are difficult to contain. They stepped me once or twice last week, so they have good players who really bring the game to you.

“That said, we’ve trained hard this week, and we know what we have to correct from last week and do this week to pull things through.”

When reviewing the Boks’ display in their previous match, Marx said they “slacked off” in certain aspects of the game.

“But we had a good review of the game, and we identified where we can improve this week,” he said.

“We started off well and were unable to maintain that intensity until the end in Argentina, so it’s vital that we play for the full 80 minutes.

‘Under no illusions about the challenge ahead’

“That said, we know how tough it’s going to be to come away with a win this week, so we are under no illusions about the challenge ahead.”

The 30-year-old highlighted physicality as a key area of improvement for the Boks but said although Los Pumas were physical in their approach, each team in the Rugby Championship held their own in that department.

“The Pumas are always physical, but I won’t say one of the teams is more physical than the other (referring to Australia and New Zealand),” said Marx.

“They just play different types of rugby, but each one of them always delivers a tough challenge.”