Springbok utility back Canan Moodie remained humble after SA’s comprehensive 67-30 victory over the Pumas in Durban at the weekend, saying the job was not yet done.
Moodie said the Boks would remain grounded and keep working hard to defend the title as they prepared for their closing Castle Lager Rugby Championship match against Argentina in London on Saturday.
The Test at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, (kickoff 3pm SA time) is set to be the Championship decider.
Because the Boks top the table on 15 points, they will know exactly what they need to do to clinch the title by the time they take the field as New Zealand (14 points) and Australia (11 points) will battle it out in their final Bledisloe Cup match earlier in the day.
The Pumas, in fourth place on nine points, are out of the running for the title.
The entire Springbok squad selected for the Argentina matches departed from Johannesburg for London on Sunday night and arrived in the UK on Monday morning. They are expected to start training on Tuesday.
“The Rugby Championship has not been won yet,” Moodie said after the Durban Test.
“We know there’s still a job to do next week, and there’s an element of travel on Sunday, so we’ll just keep our heads down and continue doing the hard work to hopefully get the result next weekend.
“Then we’ll have something to celebrate.”
Moodie expected a huge backlash from the Pumas, who have beaten the All Blacks, Wallabies and British & Irish Lions this season.
“I think we have good memories from Twickenham, but we certainly won’t be taking the second game against Argentina lightly,” he said.
“They’ll come hard at us because they are a very passionate rugby nation, and they’ll look hard at Saturday’s game and come back fighting.
“That said, we have to focus on ourselves and ensure we do the job, rather than looking at all the other stuff.
“For us, the focus is on trying to do the job on Saturday.”
With the Boks outscoring their opponents by nine tries to three in another impressive attacking display after their record-breaking 43-10 victory against the All Blacks in Wellington two weeks ago, the Rugby World Cup winner was pleased with the trajectory the team was on.
“We try to stick to our structures and after halftime don’t try to go off script,” said Moodie, who was denied a try in Durban by a matter of inches as the ball touched the deal-ball line before he could ground it.
“It’s definitely a reason why it’s going well, and it’s definitely credit to that, and trying to stick to our system.
“We have a good balance of how we’re doing things and it seems to be working for us.”
Moodie praised Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for his Player of the Match performance on Saturday.
The exciting Bok flyhalf set a new SA record for the most points scored by a player in a Test with a personal tally of 37 points, including a memorable hat-trick.
“It was amazing to see,” Moodie said.
“You could see he was full of confidence, and it was great to see him score some good tries.
“It’s always good when a player can express himself. We give each other confidence.”
Moodie also complemented the depth at centre within the Bok squad.
“Andre [Esterhuizen] and Damian [de Allende] are world-class athletes. They are both devastating ball carriers.
“As a group we all have a job to do, and we all just go out there and execute it to the best of our ability, which makes it easier for me.”
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