Kurt-Lee Arensde credits the pack for ‘laying the foundation’ for his hat-trick

Springboks flyer Kurt-Lee Arendse has paid tribute to his forwards after running in three tries against Australia in the opening Rugby Championship fixture at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Arendse has a remarkable record of scoring in seven consecutive Test matches for the Springboks taking his tally to ten tries in eight appearances for his country.

‘I can’t take any credit for the tries’

The in-form outside back was quick to praise the work done upfront by his team-mates in the pack after the match.

“It’s always special contributing to the team and playing in front of your home crowd while representing your country,” Arendse told reporters after the 43-12 victory.

“We’ve grown as a team from where we were last year to where we are now. As a team, we’d like to continue building on that, and for me personally, I’d like to continue learning and to implement those learnings in my game.

“But I can’t take any credit for the tries. The forwards have been laying the foundation for us as backs to finish. It’s just great to contribute to the team.”

The round two clash against New Zealand in Auckland will likely decide the winners of the Rugby Championship after the All Blacks defeated Argentina 41-12 in the second match of the tournament in Mendoza.

The All Blacks challenge

The Springboks coaching team did send a group of players over to New Zealand early but announced an additional squad of 21 players after the win over Australia.

The speedster and several standout players from the victory feature in that travelling group, as the coaching staff included more players than initially planned.

“It was always part of our planning that some of the players who ran out in the Test against Australia would travel to New Zealand, and given some impressive performances today, we decided to take a few more players than we originally planned for,” SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus explained.

Arendse, who also scored a try in the 26-10 win over New Zealand last year in Johannesburg before being red-carded, said the Springboks were looking forward to the challenge.

“We are always looking forward to the next challenge,” said Arendse.

“New Zealand are a team you can never underestimate. The guys travelling today [Sunday] are ready to slot in with the players that are already there and to ensure that as a group we prepare really well for the match.”

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