Tue, Oct 09, 2007 page19

• Pumas look ahead to 'Bok showdown

  DARING TO DREAM Argentina have already achieved their best ever showing at a World Cup, but that doesn't mean they're ready to go home

  • AP
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  Argentina's rugby team isn't satisfied with simply making history.

  The Pumas have reached the Rugby World Cup semi-final for the first time and is the first team from outside the Tri-Nations and the Six Nations to reach the final four.

  Now it sees a way of upsetting powerhouse South Africa and getting to the final.

  

  South Africa's Francois Steyn, left, looks on as teammate Bakkies Botha hands off Fiji's Semisi Naevo at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille, France, on Sunday.

  PHOTO: AP

  After Argentina beat Scotland 19-13 on Sunday to advance to the semi-final against the Springboks, coach Marcelo Loffreda said he took careful notice how South Africa struggled against Fiji earlier in the day.

  The Springboks eventually scored two late tries for a 37-20 victory in Marseille. With the score on 20-20 midway through the second half, however, there were real signs that gave the Pumas plenty to think about.

  "We know what they are capable of," Loffreda said. "But Fiji gave us some guidelines for finding weaknesses in South Africa. We know their history and their strength but we are going to find their weak points. We will be able to attack them from somewhere."

  

  Argentina captain Agustin Pichot sits on the pitch with his children at the end of his team's quarter-final match against Scotland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, on Sunday. Argentina beat Scotland 19-13.

  PHOTO: AP

  The Pumas withstood a late surge by the Scots to earn their place in the semi-final and have now won all five games at this World Cup.

  "This group has managed to achieve a huge amount today," Loffreda said. "This is the biggest success we could have imagined. It's not over yet but I think we have to keep up with the good work."

  "We all realize that we have done something that Argentina has never before achieved. This is one of the greatest achievements in Argentina's history," he said.

  

  Argentina's Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe sticks the ball up his shirt after his team defeated Scotland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, on Sunday.

  PHOTO: AP

  He said the team deserves to celebrate what it has done and then think about how to beat South Africa at the same Stade de France stadium next Sunday. The other semi-final between host France and defending champion England is at the same ground on Saturday with the final on Oct. 20

  "We certainly have to think about the next game already," the coach said. "We can celebrate and enjoy out achievement but we were in a mindframe to think about the next game."

  He noted how his own players allowed the Scots to come back from 13-3 and 19-6 down to get within a converted try of beating Argentina.

  "We played a very controlled game but things began unraveling and we lost that control and that cannot be allowed," Loffreda said. "We began making mistakes especially when we lost the ball and we let Scotland in the game when they were out of the game."

  Team captain and long-serving scrumhalf Agustin Pichot put that down to the fatigue of going so far in a tournament.

  "We are tired and we didn't have the freshness to come to a new game," he said. "We played two very intensive matches which were difficult psychologically speaking."

  But he said the Argentina team has the mental strength to lift itself at least one more time.

  "We are a tight-knit family. Maybe we're not the best technically speaking but every one of us did everything in our power to achieve this historic moment," he said.

  "This team is more than just [Juan Martin] Hernandez, [Felipe] Contepomi, Pichot, not just about three players, we are talking about the whole team. This is the essential point. A huge number of people play a part in everything we do," Pichot said.
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