Cape Town - The Springboks will be sweating over playmaker Damian Willemse's fitness as they prepare for what could be a Rugby Championship title decider against Argentina in Durban this Saturday.
The Boks did well to deliver a strong first-half performance, and while things got messy in the second half, they produced a character-filled display in the closing stages of the game despite all the off-field drama to win 36-20 in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
But the victory might not have been without a costly casualty.
Willemse was substituted in the 65th minute following a tackle and spent quite some time down, while the medical staff attended to him.
While he got back up and walked off the field, the Boks will be desperately hoping that the 24-year-old will be available for this Saturday’s game, with only Frans Steyn currently available as an option at No 10. Handre Pollard is recovering from his knee injury with his English club Leicester Tigers, while Elton Jantjies returned to South Africa following reports of an alleged affair with Bok dietitian Zeenat Simjee.
So, should Willemse - who produced another strong performance at flyhalf in the green and gold at the weekend - be out with concussion, the Boks may have to turn to veteran utility back Steyn considering that there are no other back-up flyhalves in the camp and that it's a short preparation week for the world champions.
MALCOLM MARX SEALS A BONUS-POINT 36-20 WIN FOR THE SPRINGBOKS IN SALTA 👏 pic.twitter.com/gpeFwl47W7
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) September 17, 2022
Speaking after the game, coach Jacques Nienaber said he was uncertain about the extent of Willemse’s injury.
“I have yet to speak to the medical staff about Damian’s injury,” Nienaber said.
“We will assess the injuries in the next two days and then make decisions on who, or whether we have to bring in players next week. We only arrive in South Africa in the early hours of Monday morning, so it will be a short week for us but both teams will be in the same situation, so we will be on a level playing field.”
With the result, the Boks are now level with the All Blacks on 14 points going into the final match at Kings Park.
Last Thursday, the Kiwis edged the Wallabies in a thriller that wasn't without controversy.
The Boks led 22-6 in the third quarter thanks to a dominant opening-half performance at the Estadio Libertadores de America, but it was almost all Argentina after the break.
While the South Africans were the ones guilty of conceding penalties galore in the second 40, they pulled it together to score two late tries to nip the hosts' impressive fightback for the bonus-point win.
“This was a semi-final for us, and it was a game of two halves. In the first half we played well and didn’t lie down and we were very clinical, and then they fought back and we conceded penalties. So, credit to Argentina," Nienaber said.
“I think both teams got penalties on all sides, but I think our discipline could’ve been better. When you play a dangerous team like Argentina, you don’t want to concede penalties for being offsides.
“But I must take my hat off to the players for staying so calm and focused and keeping their heads toward the end of the game to pull it through.”
The Boks' game against the Pumas kicks off at 5.05pm on Saturday.
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