The Springbok backs need to run out at Kings Park with a mean attitude and match the physicality of their Los Pumas counterparts to win the Rugby Championship, says star wing Makazole Mapimpi.

The Springboks claimed a 36-20 bonus-point victory in Buenos Aires to keep their hopes of winning the title alive, but were made to work hard in the second half after leading 22-6 at half time.

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A ferocious fightback from the Pumas had them trailing by just two points going into the final 10 minutes, but two late Springbok tries gave South Africa exactly what they needed from the match.

“Similarly to their forwards, their backs are physical, and that is something we’ll need to try to match in the game,” said Mapimpi. “For us, we need to make things personal, and we need to be at our best.”

“It’s very important for us as a team and for the fans to win the competition and see things come together. We played a few games away from home, and it’s great to be back and have a chance to win the Rugby Championship, so we are looking forward to Saturday.”

The Boks last won the tournament in 2019, and with the side tied on 14 log points with New Zealand going into the closing match of the series on Saturday, they will know exactly how many log points and by what points margin they need to win to clinch the title when they take the field.

“We want to win and earn five points from the match,” flank Pieter-Steph du Toit said. “We’ll know before kick-off exactly what we need to do, and even if earning five points changes [depending on the outcome of the clash between the All Blacks and Australia], we won’t change our plan much.”

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The Springboks used the power of their forwards and driving maul to rampage Argentina in Buenos Aires, but are expecting a backlash from the Pumas pack in Durban.

“They have a dangerous pack that plays to their strengths, and they are not afraid of doing the dirty work and try to intimidate the opposition,” said Du Toit.

They pride themselves on their set phases and they try to get penalties from it. That said we are in a good place as a team, our confidence is up, and we are in a good position to try to possibly win the competition.”

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