Ken Borland

Springboks defence coach John McFarland said on Tuesday that his team will need to lay down the law early on against Argentina in what he predicts will be two very tough Tests at the start of South Africa’s Rugby Championship campaign.

“I think they’re going to be two very difficult Tests against Argentina and that’s what we’re focusing on because you get the same four points for beating the Pumas as you do for beating the All Blacks.

“Argentina have certainly improved and they have a lot of experience, so we’re going to have to do the hard yards. We have to dominate the collisions and set a defensive line in front of them. As the second Test against Wales showed, when we were maybe too complacent, if you don’t bring your top game into a Test match, you’ll be in trouble,” McFarland said.

Although there have been some protests over too many veteran players being used by Heyneke Meyer, one of the greatest strengths in the current Springbok squad is the considerable experience it contains. Just a year out from the World Cup, it is worth noting that successful campaigns have been built around experience; send a green team and you’re on a hiding to nothing. South Africa’s poor 2003 performance was partly due to their squad only having a combined 397 caps, or 13 per player; in 2007, Jake White assembled a total of 809 caps (an average of 26 per player).

The current 30-man Springbok squad has 964 caps between them. That’s without Victor Matfield’s record 113 appearances, but his replacement, Juan Smith, brings 69 caps himself. Fourie du Preez is a certainty for the World Cup if fit and he has 70 Tests to his name.

For McFarland, players like Smith and Bakkies Botha are crucial for the team dynamic.

“You can’t buy experience, like we saw when Bakkies came back late last year. Guys like him and Juan are inspirational, they never give up and they’re an example to all of us in how to keep going,” McFarland said.

For Smith, his determination has brought the sweet taste of success as he returns to the Springbok squad he holds so dear, the bitterness of his achilles injury that curdled his career for so long a thing of the past.

“It’s been a long road back, I was out for 28 months, I had announced I was finished and I saw no light at the end of the tunnel. I had five operations and they were tough times, it was all very dark times. I felt I had no other choice but to call it a day.

“I had one operation in Bloemfontein and then three in Pretoria. After that I tried everything to fix the achilles but there was no way around it and I was forced to retire. But then a surgeon in Bloemfontein, Dr Johan Kruger, said he could give me a chance of playing again. But for me it wasn’t about playing again, I just wanted to walk without pain. For 25 months I would stand up and go to bed with pain.

“I could immediately feel the difference after that operation, the next morning there was no pain, and I said to my wife that I’m going to try and play again,” Smith said on Tuesday.

Since making a fairytale return to the rugby field for Toulon in September 2013, Smith has dished up consistently brilliant performances in his 28 appearances for the French club, helping them to the dream double of the Heineken Cup and the Top 14 title last season.

While Smith is by no means assured of playing against Argentina – it is hard to see him jumping ahead of Vermeulen, Louw, Alberts and Coetzee in the loose forward queue, while competition at lock is also stiff – there will definitely be a new face in the number 13 jersey against the Pumas.

It is sad that Meyer does not have faith in the obvious abilities of Juan de Jongh and S’Bura Sithole, and it looks likely that the uncapped Damian de Allende, used at inside centre and on the wing by the Stormers, will be pressed into duty as the outside centre to captain Jean de Villiers.

While De Allende is obviously a potent force with ball in hand, it is in defence where teams like New Zealand and Australia can make a fool of anyone in midfield who does not know exactly what they are doing.

McFarland said playing at 13 was all about taking your time when it comes to defence.

“It’s a bit different to playing at 12, where things happen quicker because the flyhalf is on top of you. You have a bit more time at 13 and the important things is not to come too hard, don’t bite the bait,” the defensive guru said.

Argentina were destroyed 73-13 by the Springboks in Soweto last year, but they have not played a Test at Loftus Versfeld before. But Pretoria was not a kind place for the South America combined team in the past, with the tourists of 1982 losing 50-18 and their 1984 successors going down 32-15.

South Africa lay down the law in no uncertain terms as they hammered England by an innings and 12 runs on the fifth day of the first test at the Oval in London on Monday.

97th over – Tim Bresnan bashes a well-flighted delivery from Imran Tahir through the covers for four. WICKET – But Jimmy Anderson has to face the last ball of the over and a leg-spinner scuttles under the bat from out of the rough, trapping the left-hander lbw for 4.

94th over – Bresnan glances Morne Morkel down to fine leg for four runs.

89th over – Dropped! Jimmy Anderson’s forceful square-cut off Dale Steyn goes through the hands of JP Duminy diving full-length at point and runs away to the boundary.

87th over – WICKET – Five wickets now for Steyn as Graeme Swann drives straight to cover-point and is out for 7.

86th over – Swann reaches a thousand test runs as he drives Vernon Philander uppishly through cover-point for four.

85th over – WICKET – Steyn strikes again with the first ball of his next over as Stuart Broad fends at a lifter down leg and gloves it through to wicketkeeper AB de Villiers. Umpire Asad Rauf gives it not out, but South Africa are convinced and call for the review. Although HotSpot doesn’t provide much evidence, it is clearly out and Broad is on his way for a duck!

83rd over – WICKET – Steyn strikes with his second delivery with the new ball, Ian Bell following an away-swinger and steering it straight to Jacques Kallis at second slip. Bell showed plenty of resilience, character and skill in scoring 55 off 220 balls.

78th over – Bell strokes a full delivery from Kallis superbly through the covers for four.

77th over – WICKET – The steep bounce Tahir has been getting finally brings reward! Matt Prior goes for a sweep, the ball climbs steeply and he can only get a top-edge. The ball flies past AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis takes a sharp catch high to his left at slip. Prior stuck around for 86 balls, scoring 40 – a good effort for England.

74th over – Bell goes to 49 as he tickles a Kallis delivery on to his thigh pad and then away to fine leg for four runs. His slowest test 50 is up at the end of the over as he pushes the seamer square on the off side for a single. It’s taken Bell four hours and 189 balls to reach it. He’s England’s key man.

68th over – Big inswing from Steyn, but Bell gets the ball away to fine leg for four runs.

Morning session

Ian Bell and Matt Prior were determined people as they carried England to 177 for five at lunch against frustrated South Africa on the final day of the first Test at the Oval in London on Monday.

66th over – Bell ends a strong session for England on an emphatic note as he steps out to the last ball of the morning, meets Imran Tahir on the full and drives him straight down the ground for four.

63rd over – Oh no, AB de Villiers has missed another chance but this one would have been spectacular! Prior pushes Jacques Kallis into the covers and sets off for a foolish single. Ian Bell is scrambling, Jacques Rudolph’s throw is just over the stumps, De Villiers, rushing in, dives to take the ball but can’t get it back on to the stumps as he tumbles hard into the ground! Bell has another life on 28.

59th over – Kallis is on for the first time in the innings but Prior plays a lovely shot, driving him off the back foot through the covers for four. The wicketkeeper/batsman collects a second boundary in the over off the last ball as he turns Kallis off his legs with lovely timing to the fine leg boundary.

58th over – 150 up for England, the deficit just 102 now, as Bell thick-edges a steer off Vernon Philander between the slips and gully for four.

56th over – Super shot from Prior as he strokes Philander wide of mid-off for four runs.

49th over – Dropped! De Villiers has not been totally convincing keeping to Tahir in the second innings and he now he drops a clanger! Bell, on 20, pushes forward to a perfect leg-spinner that turns just enough to get a thin edge, the ball goes straight into De Villiers’ midriff, but he can’t hang on!

47th over – Prior is off the mark with two boundaries in three balls off Dale Steyn. He flicks a short ball down leg away to the fine leg boundary and then punches firmly off the back foot, through cover-point, as the fast bowler offers some width.

46th over – Morne Morkel has been erratic this morning and now he strays on to Bell’s leg stump and is glanced away for four to fine leg.

45th over – WICKET – Not the sort of shot you want to play when trying to save the Test. Ravi Bopara flashes at a wide delivery outside off stump from Steyn, there is a bit of extra bounce and he drags the ball back into his middle stump! Bopara is out for a defiant 22 off 55 balls.

44th over – Bopara turns a short delivery from Morkel to square-leg for a single to bring up the fifty partnership with Bell off 106 balls. Sticking in there well.

43rd over – Bopara leaves a delivery from Steyn that jags back off the pitch and keeps low, missing the off-stump by an astonishing 0.8mm according to Hawkeye! Surprising that the turbulence of the fast bowler’s delivery didn’t knock off the bail!

41st over – Steyn drops short and Bopara slaps him to the square-leg boundary with an excellent hook shot.