The world champion Springboks missed out on winning the 2022 Rugby Championship despite beating Argentina by a comfortable margin in Durban on Saturday.
In order to win the title, the Boks needed to not only score three tries more than Argentina for a winning bonus point, but also had to beat the South Americans by at least 39 points.
So, it was a bittersweet Heritage Day celebration for the majority Bok supporters in the 45,982 crowd at Kings Park, as South Africa beat Argentina 38-21 – after leading the visitors 17-7 at half time.
In the face of the momentous scoring task, the Boks did well to dominate possession in the first half as well as play with a high tempo from the opening whistle, the world champions trying to gain any momentum through powerful attacking runs and a clear desire to offload.
But with that came the risk of several unforced errors, epitomised by a nervy start for veteran playmaker Frans Steyn who failed to find touch with a penalty kick before he had a return kick charged down by Pumas left wing Juan Imhoff.
The Boks celebrated what they thought was the first try of the match with Eben Etzebeth bundling over from a lineout, but the on-field call was overturned by the TMO for the Bok lock separating from the rolling maul.
Another missed touch kick from Steyn as the hosts early looked to set up another attacking lineout five metres from the Argentina tryline, before visiting blindside flank Marcos Kremer saw yellow for repeated team infringements.
The men in green and gold finally broke the deadlock at the close of the first quarter, No 8 Jasper Wiese getting his first Test try off the back of a very strong scrum and Steyn adding the extras.
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Los Pumas were back to 14 men when openside flank Juan Martin Gonzalez earned 10 minutes in the naughty chair for a cynical penalty and, again, the hosts made their numerical advantage count when skipper Siya Kolisi crashed over from a lineout maul as the Bok pack turned the screws.
Steyn was on target to make it 14-0, and the flyhalf nailed a trademark penalty kick from inside his own half before the interval, but Argentina hit back with a converted try from scrumhalf Gonzalo Bertranou, the stadium scoreboard reading 17-7 as the teams entered the changing rooms.
In a repeat of last week’s clash in Buenos Aires, Argentina came flying out the blocks after the break, Gonzalez showing some fancy footwork down the left to cross the whitewash in the left corner for a 17-14 scoreline.
Bok coach Jacques Nienaber replaced Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Willie le Roux with Duane Vermeulen, Kwagga Smith and Kurt-Lee Arendse, and the replacement forwards combined strongly off a lineout that culminated in a penalty try after inside centre Jeronimo De La Fuente earned a stint in the sin bin for collapsing the maul.
The heavens opened at the start of the final quarter, making handling more difficult and conditions not conducive to running rugby, but worse for the home side was the sending off of Etzebeth for an off-the-ball shove on Gonzalez, and the Bok enforcer was soon followed to the sin bin by substitute scrumhalf Faf de Klerk for an illegal side entry of a maul.
Pumas outside centre Matias Moroni dotted down after sustained pressure, and right wing Emiliano Boffelli converted, to make it a three-point game with 10 minutes left on the clock.
However, another penalty try and a last-minute Arendse touchdown for the Boks ensured Nienaber’s troops avoided a second shock defeat by Argentina in Durban.
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter
