So much already done, now we must beat Boks

IT WOULD be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that we have achieved all we could have hoped for by reaching the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup.

We’ve become the first team to beat the host nation in a World Cup opening game, and on top of that victory over France we’ve beaten two other Six Nations teams, Ireland and Scotland to get to the last four.

Are we happy? Of course we are. Are we proud? Certainly. Should we go home now, our job done? Never. We’re determined to win every game and we won’t be happy just to reach the semi-finals.

We’ll need no extra motivation for this match. We didn’t play our best rugby against Scotland and that gives us incentive enough to raise our game, play to our potential and get a positive result.

We have never beaten South Africa, so to play against a team you’ve never beaten in the semi-final of a World Cup is not a challenge to overlook and would be great to beat them for the first time on this stage.

We’re the underdogs but opportunities like this come along once in a lifetime. We’ve had a great week of training and hopefully we can take that into the match.

South Africa were one of the big favourites before the World Cup and now, of the four remaining teams, they probably are the favourites to win this tournament. But with New Zealand and Australia both getting knocked out in the quarter-finals it gives us encouragement that we can do the same to the Springboks.

This World Cup has had plenty of surprises so why not add another crazy result and beat South Africa? We’re expecting a very physical match and if we can overcome their physicality in the forwards I think we have a good chance.

Fiji’s performance against them last weekend showed there are some weak links in that South African pack and if we keep on playing at our best we will hopefully see those weak points and take advantage.

Discipline will again be crucial. Our coach, Marcelo Loffreda stressed its importance before the Scotland game and yet we still conceded 10 penalties against them in our quarter-final. So we really have to tighten up this aspect of our play.

Every penalty we concede puts the ball in their hand and when you give the Springboks possession and territory they are very hard to stop.

Hopefully it won’t turn into a goal-kicking contest, and I’m sure both teams are quite aware about not giving away penalties but if it comes to that, it’s fine by me. I’m feeling great in that respect and have no worries about scoring penalties.

To beat South Africa you first have to start with their pack but we’ll also be looking to exploit the weaknesses they perhaps have on their outside, with their first, second and third defenders, so we’ll be looking to get some kicks over their wings.

Morale is very high right now but to be honest it’s been the same all the way through this tournament. Before we got to France we said that this would be a great experience that happens only once every four years. So we’ve tried to enjoy ourselves on and off the pitch and make it the best experience ever.

It’s been good too, to have been nominated alongside my team-mate Juan Martin Hernandez for the International Rugby Board’s Player of the Year award. It’s hard to speak about individuals in a game where 15 men play. But to have two players from Argentina in the list of five is a great achievement and hopefully one of us could get it. That would mean everything has been done correctly over the last few years with the Pumas and in my case means my play with Leinster has been influential.

Whatever happens tomorrow in Paris, our run to the semi-finals should take the Pumas a step closer to joining the Tri-Nations competition. As I’ve written before, we need that sort of annual tournament to improve our status long-term and this week I saw IRB chairman Dr Syd Millar thinks the same thing.

And he’s not the only Irishman on our side at this important moment. The number of messages and cards I’ve received from Ireland and from the Leinster people in particular has been great and I’m very grateful. Michael Cheika and the rest of the players have been in touch and the Leinster Branch has passed on so many good luck messages it feels as if the Pumas are representing the Irish as well as our own fans.

I just hope we get to do so again in the World Cup final.