“It’s going to be a Test match out there.”
Those are the words of Stormers assistant coach Dawie Snyman, so it’s pretty clear that he’s expecting the Jaguares to come at them hard in their Super Rugby meeting at Newlands on Saturday (kick-off 3.05pm).
The Stormers, unbeaten after three rounds, pulled off a dramatic 33-30 victory over the Lions at Ellis Park at the weekend, while the Argentines overcame a shaky start against the Reds in Buenos Aires to secure a 43-27 win.
The Stormers weren’t perfect in their last outing, and that’s exactly what excites Snyman - the fact that they can still get better.
“There’s still a lot more that we can produce, we can still do better, so that’s quite exciting,” Snyman said.
At the weekend, the Lions were in the lead with two minutes to go, before the Stormers worked the ball through a few phases after a scrum and sent the ball to centre Ruhan Nel to touch down after the clock went red, snatching victory away from the hosts in dramatic fashion.
It’s that ability to close out those tough games in the final minutes that Snyman believes will give them confidence going forward.
“It will give the team confidence that they can pull off a win in tough games, and that one was tough.”
On the Jaguares, Snyman said: “They produced a good performance against the Lions and I thought they were in it until the last moment against the Hurricanes before they scored. They didn’t start well against the Reds, but in the second half they performed well, so they’re a tough side. They know how to win big games, so it’ll be tough.
“They’re a physical team, they’re good at the set-piece, defensively they’ll put you under pressure and we know if you give them loose possession they’ve got some great runners at the back.
“The Argentinians are tough guys, and we respect that. Every time they step onto the field they give it their all, they’re very passionate. It’s going to be a Test match out there on Saturday. Physically we need to be up for it, otherwise we won’t get dominance.
“We’re actually excited about that because we see ourselves as a side that can match that.”
Snyman added that scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies and loose forward Jaco Coetzee will be available for the Round Four meeting, while they’ll make a call on tighthead prop Wilco Louw - who rolled his ankle against the Lions - on Thursday.