The Springboks have switched their focus to the inaugural Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series after returning from Buenos Aires, where they secured a hard-fought 17-10 victory over Argentina last Saturday. Canan Moodie, who started at outside centre against Los Pumas, said the match delivered exactly what the world champions required ahead of their four-Test challenge against New Zealand.
"We got out of that game what we wanted to, so now it's full focus on the All Blacks series," Moodie said. "They've already played against the DHL Stormers and the Hollywoodbets Sharks, so we'll be dialled into what they're doing, and preparing as best we can."
The 23-year-old emphasised the importance of the Argentina fixture for players regaining match sharpness after lengthy injury absences. Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Siya Kolisi and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu all featured in Buenos Aires following extended spells on the sidelines, whilst head coach Rassie Erasmus continued refining his combinations.
The travelling squad returned to South Africa in two groups on Monday night and Tuesday, completing flush-out gym sessions before the entire training camp reconvenes in Johannesburg on Friday and Saturday. The All Blacks await across four successive weekends: Ellis Park on 22 August, DHL Stadium in Cape Town on 29 August, FNB Stadium on 5 September, and the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on 12 September.