Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is expecting a “psyched-up Argentinean team” at Kings Park next Saturday.

The world champions kicked off their preparations on Friday for the first of two crucial Rugby Championship matches against Los Pumas.

Having assembled in camp in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday night, they wasted no time getting straight back to business after a few days with their families.

The Boks started the day off with an early morning spinning and gym session, followed by an afternoon training session.

They will return to the gym and field on Saturday, before switching back into full Test match mode on Monday for the battle at Kings Park.

With only two points separating the first-placed Wallabies, on 11 log points, and the last-placed Pumas (on nine points), while the second-placed Springboks and third-placed All Blacks are level on 10 points, the competition is set to go down to the wire in the closing round on Saturday, 4 October.

While the Springboks and Pumas will battle it out in the last leg of the southern hemisphere showpiece, the All Blacks will take on the Wallabies for the Bledisloe Cup, and given how tight the standings are, any team could snatch the title, which the Springboks won last season for the first time since 2019.

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“It’s great to be back in camp and to see the excitement and enthusiasm among the players, and we are keen to get back into the swing of things after a few days off to recover from the trip back from New Zealand,” said Erasmus.

“We have two massive encounters ahead against a psyched-up Argentinean team, who, just like every other side in the competition, believes they can win the trophy, so the extra two training days were vital for us.

“The players are fresh and charged up for the challenge ahead, and that excites us because we are going to give everything to build on our last result and give ourselves the best possible chance to win the title.”

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Erasmus added: “The players jumped straight back into action, and our focus on Friday and Saturday is to improve the areas of our game we would like to after reviewing the last match against the All Blacks, as well as our fundamentals, which will be critical against a well-rounded and Pumas outfit.

“They have a powerful pack and classy playmakers in their backline, so we need to be sharp at training and ensure that we are ready mentally and physically when we approach game day next week.”

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Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images