Category Archives: Sports News

Sport24.co.za | Sharapova in ‘Where is Wozniacki?’ jibe

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New York – Maria Sharapova hit back at Caroline Wozniacki over a US Open scheduling row on Friday, saying of her bitter Danish rival: “I’m in the 4th round. I don’t know where she is.” 

Wozniacki was furious that her second round match was played on an outside court while five-time major winner Sharapova was playing all of hers in Arthur Ashe Stadium. 

The Danish woman said it was “unacceptable and questionable” for Sharapova, who is playing her first Grand Slam since the end of a drugs ban, to be given the showpiece court. 

“With regards to scheduling, as you know, I don’t make the schedule,” said Sharapova after reaching the fourth round with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Sofia Kenin of the United States. 

“I’m a pretty big competitor. If you put me out in the parking lot of Queens in New York City, I’m happy to play there. 

“That’s not what matters to me. All that matters to me is I’m in the fourth round. Yeah, I’m not sure where she is.” 

Wozniacki, who has never won a Grand Slam, lost her second-round match to Ekaterina Makarova on Wednesday after being scheduled on Court 5 before getting bumped up to Court 10. 

“When you look on Centre Court, I understand completely the business side of things, but someone who comes back from a drugs sentence – performance enhancing drugs – and all of a sudden gets to play every single match on Centre Court, I think that’s a questionable thing to do,” fumed the Danish former world number one. 

Sharapova, the champion in New York in 2006, returned from a 15-month doping ban in April but was refused a wildcard for the French Open while injury ruled her out of Wimbledon. 

Her world ranking of 146 meant she needed a wildcard to get into the main draw at the US Open.

But she has responded to the decision by the US Tennis Association by knocking out world number two Simona Halep in the first round and recovering from a set down to beat Timea Babos in the second. 

On Sunday, she will face Latvian 16th seed Anatasija Sevastova for a spot in the quarter-finals.

But she will need to cut out the errors that plagued her against 18-year-old Kenin, a fellow America-based player who was born in Russia. 

She was broken three times and her 38 winners just offset 33 unforced errors. 

“She had really nice words for me in the locker room, which was really nice,” said Sharapova, older than her opponent by 12 years and regarded as an idol by Kenin. 

“I wasn’t surprised with the way she came out and competed. She was down I believe a few match points in the previous match. 

“She’s a grinder. She’ll get many balls back. Despite not having the experience, she’s a tough player.”

Sport24.co.za | Khune pays tribute to fallen Chiefs goalkeeping coach

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Cape Town – Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune has expressed sadness over goalkeeping coach Alexandre Revoredo, who unexpectedly passed away on Thursday.

Chiefs announced that the club’s goalkeeper coach, Revoredo, had tragically passed away although no details were given about how it happened.

He was 57.

Khune took to Twitter to express his condolences and thanks to the Revoredo on the impact he played on his career.

“May Your Soul Rest In Eternal Peace #Beleza thanks a lot for the role you played in my career. I’m going to miss you,” wrote the Bafana Bafana player.

Revoredo, who was born in Rio de Janeiro, arrived in South Africa in 2007 to work alongside Julio Leal at AmaZulu.

Aside from his coaching career with Usuthu, he also spent time with PSL clubs including Golden Arrows and Orlando Pirates.

He spent four years with the Sea Robbers and left in 2015. Revoredo then joined Chiefs to work with head coach Steve Komphela and has been with them since 2016.

Nonetheless, his death still comes as something of a shock as it was seemingly apparent he was not in any ill health.

Sport24.co.za | Scan reveals no rib fracture for Coenie

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Cape Town – Springbok prop Coenie Oosthuizen underwent a scan in Durban to examine the rib injury he sustained in the Springbok victory over the Pumas in Argentina on Saturday.

The scan revealed no fracture.

Oosthuizen will therefore join the Springbok group when it reassembles in Johannesburg on Friday.

Dr Konrad von Hagen, the Springboks’ team doctor, has confirmed however that the front ranker will only be considered for selection for the Test against Australia on September 9 in Perth – if his pain and discomfort settles sufficiently.

The following week the Springboks play New Zealand in North Harbour.

They will travel in two groups to Australia, with members of the management team accompanying the backs on Friday evening, while the rest of the touring party will fly out to Perth on Saturday evening.

Sport24.co.za | Coetzee: Wallabies a ‘different beast’

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Cape Town – Springbok coach Allister Coetzee is a happy man after back-to-back wins over Argentina in the Rugby Championship, but he knows that September 9’s clash against the Wallabies in Perth will present its own challenges. 

The Springboks are viewing their Rugby Championship campaign in three phases.

Phase one – home and away games against Argentina – has been completed successfully and it is now on to phase two; the Australasian tour. 

It is the toughest leg of the campaign for the Springboks, even more so now that the Wallabies appear to be turning the corner. 

The Wallabies were hammered 54-34 by the All Blacks in Sydney in their tournament opener, but they put in an impressive display this past weekend in Dunedin when they came within a whisker of a famous victory, going down 35-29 in the end. 

The Australian Super Rugby sides were woeful in 2017, prompting many South African fans into believing that the Boks could “do the double” over the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship this year. 

But the Aussies look like they are moving in the right direction again, and they will be determined to knock the Boks over in Perth. 

Coetzee knows how tough it will be after seeing his team go down 23-17 in Brisbane last year. 

“I’m very pleased with the result in Salta,” he said.

“But it’s a different beast waiting that side. It’s always tough going down to Australia. They’re hitting form … don’t look at Super Rugby and how their teams did there.

“The team that is currently playing against the All Blacks is really improving.

“They made a couple of mistakes in the first game and were punished and you saw how they put the All Blacks under pressure in the second game.”

Coetzee is also expecting his back three to be tested against Wallabies, while the Boks would also have to continue the good set piece form they have displayed so far in 2017.

“It’s always high ball in play when you go there … as Boks we know that,” he said.

“They’re very clever with their set piece with their lineout and their mauling. It’s going to be a massive challenge.

“This year we are looking at windows of opportunity and this is another one.”

The Springboks are currently top of the Rugby Championship log, tied on 9 points with the All Blacks but ahead on points difference. 

Sport24.co.za | The overnight millionaires of the T20 GL draft

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Cape Town – There were a number of surprises along the way as the eight franchises picked their squads for the upcoming T20 Global League, and there were a number of players who cashed in and became millionaires overnight. 

The 16 rounds of draft picks all came with a different cash bracket, with the first round seeing at players pocketing R1.75 million and the final two rounds seeing players earn a cool R130 000. 

In total, each of the eight teams spent R11.7 million on its players, bringing the total amount of cash splashed on Sunday to R93.7 million. 

Chris Morris, Dale Steyn, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Dane Paterson, Colin Ingram, JJ Smuts and Alex Hales were the eight players picked in the first round. 

It is a massive boost to the likes of Paterson and Smuts, who have only just broken onto the international scene. 

Paterson, for example, has been opening the bowling for SWD in the Africa T20 Cup, and now he is the most expensive player in the country and an overnight millionaire. 

Even as you look down the draft, to the very bottom, there are players who have had their lives changed in an instant. 

The last name out the hat was that of 29-year-old Kyle Nipper, who has struggled for the best part of a decade to break into the domestic scene. 

He was chosen as the Pretoria Mavericks’ last player, and the R130 000 will surely be more than anything he has ever made during his time at the Dolphins or KZN Inland. 

Andile Phehlukwayo, at just 21, was also struggling to come to grips with how much money he had just netted at the draft. 

Having been picked in the third round by the Joburg Giants, the Proteas allrounder walks away with R1.3 million. 

Aiden Markram (Nelson Mandela Bay Stars), Farhaan Behardien (Mavericks) and Tabraiz Shamsi (Stellenbosch Monarchs) were all chosen in the second round of the draft and they also have life-changing pay cheques of R1.495 million coming their way. 

Dolphins veteran Robbie Frylinck, meanwhile, will earn R1.105 million for being picked by the Mavericks in the fourth round along with Lungi Ngidi, Shaun von Berg, rassie ban der Dussen, Bjorn Fortuin, Chris Jonker and Heinrich Klaasen.

FULL SQUADS: T20 GLOBAL LEAGUE

T20 Global League draft prize money (noticeable picks in brackets):

Round 1 – R1.755 million (Chris Morris, Dale Steyn, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Dane Paterson, Colin Ingram, JJ Smuts)

Round 2 – R1.495 million (Vernon Philander, Aiden Markram, Farhaan Behardien, Tabraiz Shamsi)

Round 3 – R1.3 million (Andile Phehlukwayo, Dane Vilas, Wayne Parnell)

Round 4 – R1.105 million (Lungi Ngidi, Shaun von Berg, Rassie van der Dussen, Bjorn Fortuin, Chris Jonker, Heinrich Klaasen, Robbie Frylinck)

Round 5 – R975 000 (David Wiese, Aaron Phangiso, Temba Bavuma, Keshav Maharaj, Henry Davids)

Round 6 – R845 000 (Eddie Leie, Morne van Wyk, Dwaine Pretorius, Patrick Kruger, Johan Botha)

Round 7 – R780 000 (Pite van Biljon, Beuran Hendricks, Jason Smith, Junior Dala, Sisanda Magala, Vaughn van Jaarseveld, Wiaan Mulder)

Round  8 – R650 000 (Theunis de Bruyn, Leus du Plooy, Rudi Second, Qaasim Adams, Heino Kuhn, Justin Ontong)

Round 9 – R585 000 (Rory Kleinveldt, Duanne Olivier, Andrew Birch, Reeza Hendricks, Ryan McLaren)

Round 10 – R520 000 (Dean Elgar, Malusi Siboto, Jonathan Vandiar, Colin Ackermann)

Round 11 – R455 000 (Khaya Zondo, Roelof van der Merwe)

Round 12 – R390 000 (Sibonelo Makhanya, George Linde)

Round 13 – R325 000 (Basheeru Walters)

Round 14 – R260 000 (Craig Alexander, Dane Piedt, Calvin Savage, Daryn Dupavillon)

Round 15 – R130 000 (Motkozisi Shezi)

Round 16 – R130 000 (Cody Chetty, Kyle Nipper, Tshepo Moreki)

Sport24.co.za | Kolisi brace helps Boks see off Pumas

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Cape Town – The Springboks, in bright red, secured a 41-23 bonus-point win over Argentina in Salta on Saturday night to make it two from two in the Rugby Championship this year. 

AS IT HAPPENED: PUMAS 23-41 SPRINGBOKS

Siya Kolisi scored two tries for the Boks, who have won their first away game under coach Allister Coetzee.

The Boks were poor in the first quarter. 

Argentina took the lead through an Emiliano Boffelli penalty while Elton Jantjies missed two early shots at goal of his own from relatively routine positions. 

But it wasn’t Jantjies’ two misses that made it a poor start for the Boks. 

They battled to hold onto their own ball, gifting the Pumas possession through unforced errors, and they couldn’t capitalise on a one-man advantage when Tomas Lavanini was sent to the bin for a dangerous tackle on Coenie Oosthuizen. 

With the Bok struggling, Jantjies then sparked a moment of magic.

He recieved the ball off the top of a lineout and went for the little chip over a rushing defensive line. Jesse Kriel was on hand to gather and he showed good hands to release Siya Kolisi, who went in under the posts for his third Test try. 

Jantjies knocked over the extras, and the Boks would have felt far better with a 7-3 lead. 

The Bok No 10 then slotted a penalty to make it 10-3, but the visitors were woeful from the restart, allowing the ball to bounce before Ramiro Moyano cantered through to the line uncontested to score the softest of tries. 

At 10-10, errors from both sides plagued the rest of the half. 

The Pumas were dealt a massive blow just before the break when they lost Juan Manuel Leguizamon to their second yellow card, and from the resulting penalty the Boks set up an attacking lineout. 

It had looked like the sides would go into half time all square, but from the lineout the ball moved to the backline where Jantjies spotted a gap and crashed his way towards the line, reaching over to get the Boks their second try and secure a 17-10 lead. 

Argentina hit back with an early penalty just after the restart to close the gap, and they were camped on the Bok line soon after that, threatening to take the lead. 

The Springboks somehow won the turnover and launched a counter-attack from their own line that result in their third try – and Kolisi’s second – of the night.

Things then got from bad to worse for Argentina when, just before the hour mark, Lavanini was shown a second yellow card, and a red, for a deliberate knock-down that prevented Kolisi going in for his third try. 

The Boks were awarded a penalty try as a result, and at 31-13 ahead, it looked to be plain sailing from there. 

That was not the case. 

Matias Orlando scored a try for the hosts and when Andries Coetzee went diving into him after he had already scored, the Springbok fullback was shown a yellow card. 

Boffelli knocked over a penalty from the restart, and all-of-a-sudden the scoreboard read 31-23. 

Jantjies then kicked a penalty to stretch the lead back to 11 points, but Jean-Luc du Preez’s first Test try in the dying stages put the game to bed. 

Scorers:

Argentina 23 (10)

Tries: Ramiro Moyano, Matias Orlando

Conversions: Juan Martin Hernandez, Nicolas Sanchez

Penalties: Emiliano Boffelli (2), Hernandez

South Africa 41 (17)

Tries: Siya Kolisi (2), Elton Jantjies, Penalty try, Jean-Luc du Preez

Conversions: Elton Jantjies (3)

Penalties: Jantjies (2)

Teams:

Sport24.co.za | Pumas humiliate woeful Blue Bulls

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Cape Town – The Pumas annihilated a woeful Blue Bulls outfit in their Currie Cup encounter at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Friday evening.

The Pumas won 51-15, after leading 22-10 at half-time.

It was their first Currie Cup win over the Blue Bulls since 2010 and they dazzled in front of their home fans, outscoring their more fancied opponents by eight tries to two.

It was John Mitchell’s first game as head coach of the Blue Bulls, after the union earlier in the week dismissed Nollis Marais on leave for the remainder of the year.

There was however no Mitchell factor to revive the Bulls as they slumped to a fourth successive loss.

Discipline was again a major issue for the men from Pretoria, who received three yellow cards – wing Kefentse Mahlo (34th minute), loose forward Jano Venter (44th) and lock Ruben van Heerden (49th) all spent time in the sin-bin.

The bonus-point win saw the Pumas move up to fourth on the overall Currie Cup standings, while the Blue Bulls slipped down to sixth.

In next weekend’s action, the Bulls host Griquas in Pretoria (Friday, September 1 – 18:15), while the Pumas tackle the Golden Lions in Johannesburg (Saturday, September – 14:00).

Scorers:

Pumas

Tries: Mark Pretorius (3), Thembelani Bholi, Stefan Ungerer, Khwezi Mona, Ruwellyn Isbell, Franke Herne
Conversions: Kobus Marais (3) Gerrit Smith
Penalty: Justin van Staden

Blue Bulls

Tries: Andre Warner, Warrick Gelant
Conversion: Joshua Stander
Penalty: Stander

Teams:

Pumas

15 Gerrit Smith, 14 JP Lewis, 13 Jerome Pretorius, 12 Hennie Skorbinski (captain), 11 Ruwellyn Isbell, 10 Justin van Staden, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Francois Kleinhans, 7 Lambert Groenewald, 6 Thembelani Bholi, 5 Hugo Kloppers, 4 Stefan Willemse, 3 Pieter Scholtz, 2 Mark Pretorius 1 Kwezi Mona

Substitutes: 16 Frank Herne, 17 De-Jay Terblanche, 18 Cameron Lindsay, 19 Chris Cloete/Brian Shabangu, 20 Willie Engelbrecht, 21 Reynier van Rooyen, 22 Kobus Marais

Blue Bulls

15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Jamba Ulengo, 13 Dries Swanepoel, 12 JT Jackson, 11 Kefentse Mahlo, 10 Joshua Stander, 9 Andre Warner, 8 Nic de Jager (captain), 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Boom Prinsloo, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Abongile Nonkontwana, 3 Conraad van Vuuren, 2 Jan-Henning Campher, 1 Lizo Gqoboka

Substitutes: 16 Edgar Marutlulle, 17 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 18 Clyde Davids, 19 Jano Venter, 20 Piet van Zyl, 21 Marnitz Boshoff, 22 Johnny Kotze

Sport24.co.za | Smit joins McCaw as World Rugby awards judge

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Cape Town – Former Springbok captain John Smit has been named on a World Rugby panel to judge the international Player of the Year awards.

Players, coaches, media and fans are at the heart of an exciting new process to determine the prestigious awards following a revamp of the process ahead of the 2017 event in Monaco.
 
The World Rugby awards are the ultimate accolade for excellence in rugby on and off the field from community to elite rugby and, since its launch in 2001, the world’s biggest names and most successful teams have been honoured.

Smit, who led the Boks to World Cup glory in 2007, is part of a prestigious list which includes former greats of the game, including legendary All Black Richie McCaw.
 
World Rugby currently engages directly with more than 10 million people on social and digital media and is keen that the views of those fans, as well as players, coaches and members of the media, are taken into account. As such, once the nominees for men’s and women’s player of the year awards are selected by the awards panel, voting will be open to fans via @WorldRugby social media platforms using the #WorldRugbyAwards hashtag. Players, coaches and media will also have their say on the nominees before the panel makes the final decision.
 
To be eligible for the top awards, players must be competing at international level and, this year, the awards panel will have access to World Rugby’s game analysis performance data and a full bank of digital match videos.
 
With the panel on a four-year rotation, presiding over the process will be a new group of playing and coaching greats, featuring World Rugby Hall of Fame inductees and former World Rugby player, coach and team of the year winners with 771 caps between them, making the panel perfectly placed to determine what it takes to be the best.
 
The panel consists of:
 
John Smit – former South Africa hooker and captain who led his team to victory at Rugby World Cup 2007; 111 caps; World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee #48, 2011.
 
George Gregan – former Australia scrumhalf and captain who was part of the Wallabies team that won Rugby World Cup 1999; 139 caps; World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee #64, 2013.
 
Maggie Alphonsi – former England flanker and Women’s Rugby World Cup 2014 winner; 74 caps; World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee #132, 2016; 2006 Women’s Personality Award winner.
 
Clive Woodward – former England centre who coached England to victory at Rugby World Cup 2003; 21 caps plus two for British and Irish Lions; World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee #42, 2011; 2003 Coach of the Year.
 
Brian O’Driscoll – former Ireland centre and captain; 133 caps plus eight for British and Irish Lions; World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee #121, 2016; 2008 IRPA Try of the Year award winner.
 
Agustin Pichot – former Argentina scrum-half and captain; 71 caps; World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee #46, 2011; 2008 IRPA Special Merit Award winner.
 
Richie McCaw – former New Zealand flanker and captain who led his team to victory at Rugby World Cup 2011 and 2015; 148 caps, 2006, 2009 and 2010 Player of the Year.
 
Fabien Galthié – former France scrum-half and captain; 64 caps; 2002 Player of the Year
 
The World Rugby Coach and Team of the Year will be selected by the panel with entries open to both men’s and women’s sevens and 15s.
 
Pichot, World Rugby’s vice-chairperson and awards panellist commented on World Rugby’s official website: “Our objective is to ensure that the awards are relevant and inclusive and that’s why players, fans and media are at the heart of this exciting, new process which will live and thrive on social media. We want fans to have their say, not just at the end of the year when the decision is made, but throughout 2017, so join the conversation and share your player, team and coach of the year suggestions using the #WorldRugbyAwards hashtag. We are also delighted to be including peer opinions via players and coaches, which will be very interesting and make the awards even more special.
 
“This new process will be guided by a new panel and I am excited to be deliberating with a group of talented and experienced players and coaches. All are active on social media which will make it easier to gauge the opinions of fans.
 
“I would like to thank the previous panel for their excellent contributions and they will always be regarded as a special group within the World Rugby awards family.”
 
Panel member Alphonsi added: “I am truly honoured to be on the panel alongside these rugby legends and be given the opportunity to recognise and celebrate those individuals within the game who have excelled this season.”
 
Former Ireland captain O’Driscoll said: “It’s great to see World Rugby acknowledging the performances of players and others within the game in this way. In 2017, we’ve already seen some amazing rugby, whether it was in the Six Nations, June internationals, Lions tour to New Zealand, the ongoing Women’s Rugby World Cup, Rugby Championship or during the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and there’s plenty more to come. So as a panel we’re not going to have any easy decisions but it’s a privilege to be asked to be a part of this group and I’m sure we’ll have some really interesting debates before the awards are announced in Monaco.”
 
World Rugby Awards:
 
World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year
The panel deliberates and selects the nominees based on who has performed to an exceptional standard throughout the year. Players, coaches, a panel of rugby media representatives from each region and fans are invited to vote on the nominees via #WorldRugbyAwards. The panel will then deliberate, informed by the player, coach, media and public votes to determine the winner.
 
World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year
The panel deliberates and selects the nominees based on who has performed to an exceptional standard throughout the year. Players, coaches, a panel of rugby media representatives from each region and fans are invited to vote on the nominees via #WorldRugbyAwards. The panel will then deliberate, informed by the player, coach, media and public votes to determine the winner.
 
World Rugby Coach of the Year
This award is open to coaches of the men’s and women’s sevens and 15s disciplines. Panellists award three points for the coach who has performed the best during the year in their eyes and then two points and one point. Points are collated to determine a winner.
 
World Rugby Team of the Year
This award is open to men’s, women’s, sevens and 15s teams. Panellists award three points for the team who has performed the best during the year in their eyes and then two points and one point. Points are collated to determine a winner.
 
World Rugby Referee Award
This award is open to current and retired referees. Panellists award three points for the referee or retired referee whom they feel should be honoured for their refereeing services and then two points and one point. Points are collated to determine a winner.
 
IRPA Try of the Year
Nominees are selected by the International Rugby Players’ Association and announced to the public and guests at the World Rugby Awards dinner who determine the winner.
 
World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year
This award is open to men’s, women’s, sevens and 15s players who have played no more than year of international rugby. Panellists award three points for the person whom they feel has burst onto the rugby scene in the past year and then two points and one point. Points are collated to determine a shortlist and winner.
 
World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Year
Panellists award three points for the player who has performed the best during the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series season in their eyes and then two points and one point. Points are collated to determine the nominees and a winner.
 
World Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year
Panellists award three points for the player who has performed the best during the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series season in their eyes and then two points and one point. Points are collated to determine the nominees and a winner.
 
Award for Character
The Award for Character honours an individual, union or group who have shown an outstanding display of character which embodies the true values of rugby: integrity, respect, solidarity, passion and discipline.
 
Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service
The Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service honours an individual, union or group, male or female, who has given outstanding service to their country and contributed to the international game in as many as possible of the following areas: playing, coaching, management, training, administration, media and broadcast.
 
IRPA Special Merit
The International Rugby Players’ Association Special Merit Award is presented to a player by fellow players in recognition of outstanding contribution to the professional game on and off the field.

Sport24.co.za | Domingo set for new coaching role

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Cape Town – Russell Domingo’s tenure as Proteas coach may be a thing of the past, but he reportedly already has a new job lined up.

Domingo’s contract as coach of the South African national team ran out after the recent tour to England, and while reapplied for the role, West Indian Ottis Gibson is the favourite to take over.

Domingo is however the favourite to be named head coach of the Pretoria franchise for the inaugural T20 Global League.

According to Netwerk24, two former Proteas players, Lance Klusener and Neil McKenzie, will be Domingo’s assistants.

Klusener previously coached the Dolphins, while McKenzie has been the Proteas’ batting coach in recent times.

The Pretoria franchise, which is yet to unveil its official name for the tournament, has AB de Villiers as marquee player.

The tournament, which features eight franchises, runs from November 3 to December 16.

Sport24.co.za | Kriel cautions against Pumas backlash

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Cape Town – Argentina is a proud rugby nation and will be determined to reverse the result in Port Elizabeth when the two teams meet again in Salta on Saturday, according to Springbok flank Jaco Kriel.

The Springboks opened their Rugby Championship account on Saturday with a 37-15 triumph over the Pumas in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, scoring four tries in the process. The sides meet again this weekend, this time on Argentine turf in Salta.

“Going back home, they will be very determined and physical in front of their own passionate fans, so we have to be prepared for a huge onslaught and tough contest,” said Kriel.

The Bok flanker, who celebrated his 28th birthday on Monday, said that mental toughness will be an important aspect of the squad’s preparation: “The smaller, harder field in Salta will make no difference to our approach.

“We all know we have to be mentally prepared and as a player you cannot let the conditions, the venue or anything else get into your head. We have to focus on the job and continue with our processes.”

Looking back on Saturday’s victory over the Pumas, Kriel said the team enjoyed the win in front of a packed Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

“Our environment is great, the players are enjoying each other and I think the supporters can see that,” said Kriel, who captained the Emirates Lions in the latter stages of Vodacom Super Rugby and also celebrated his 28th birthday on Monday.

“At the Boks we are all brothers that care and we all enjoyed the occasion on Saturday in Port Elizabeth. The people of PE were awesome, but now we have to move on and focus on the next job.”

The Springboks continued with their preparations in Port Elizabeth on Monday and the squad is set to fly to Argentina on Wednesday morning. Springbok coach Allister Coetzee, will name his match 23 on Thursday.