Something about Salta
The mountains are the Andes and there are high mountains to the north and the south of Salta, which is about 1 150 metres above sea level, about 600 metres lower than Johannesburg.
The town has lots of Spanish colonial architecture, for the Spaniards started building there about 30 years after Jan van Riebeeck sailed into Table Bay.
The population is about 628 000, smaller than Pietermaritzburg but bigger than Bloemfontein.
Argentina is a long, thin country, about 3 650 km in length where from Musina to Port Elizabeth is about 1 570 km. Salta is 1 286 km from Buenos Aires. The Springboks' journey will take them from Johannesburg to Buenos Aires. They will overnight there and fly up to Salta on the Wednesday before the match.
Argentina's inland cities are famous/notorious for their tough, rough, passionate rugby – Tucumán above all but also Córdoba, Santa Fe and Salta.
The first official South African team to play in Salta were the 1972 Gazelles who beat Salta 100-0. Other matches in Salta have not been as lavish!
The Pumas have played six Tests in Salta, beating Italy, England, the USA and South Africa, and losing to England and South Africa.
Pumas' results in Salta
2005: Argentina beat It alky 35-21
2009: Argentina beat England 24-22
2013: England beat Argentina 32-3
2014: South Africa beat Argentina 33-31
2015: Argentina beat the USA 28-23
2016: Argentina beat South Africa 26-24
The Gazelles in 1972 played at the Gimnasia y Tiro Club before some 2 000 spectators.
In 2014 they played at Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena, as they did in 2016 and as they will on Saturday, a stadium that holds about 20 000 spectators.
The stadium is named after a Catholic priest, Father Ernesto Martearena who did immense social work for the poor and their health and for youth till be was murdered in 2001 at the after of 57.
