BOKS REIN IN PUMAS

THE Springboks were forced to get down and dirty to bag a historic Rugby Championship title after a tough 29-27 win over Argentina at Twickenham on Saturday.

After a champagne performance at Kings Park where South Africa put 67 points past the Pumas, coach Rassie Erasmus’ manne started off rusty after the Argentinians put the Boks on the back foot with a fast-paced attacking game.

Bok centre Canan Moodie also got himself yellow-carded in the first minute of the game for a dangerous tackle.

This allowed the Pumas to strike as wing Bautista Delguy went over for the game’s opening try.

The Boks hit back with a Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu penalty, before Argentina extended their lead to 13-3 as Santiago Carreras slotted two three-pointers.

SA’s luck seemed to turn as Moodie escaped getting yellow-carded a second time for slapping the ball down. Referee Andrea Piardi felt the centre had a realistic chance to intercept the ball.

The “get out of jail free” card seemed to galvanise the Boks as their forward pack went to work to tighten up the game.

And after a vrag scrum penalties, scrumhalf and man of the match Cobus Reinach sniped off the back of a set-piece and scored to cut Argentina’s lead to just three points at halftime.

Pumas prop Mayco Vivas then got himself sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle on Eben Etzebeth after the restart, with SA immediately capitalising to take the lead as Malcolm Marx drove over from a lineout maul.

Reinach then doubled up as the Bokke squeezed Argentina into making klomp foute before Marx scored his second try as the Boks hit a comfortable 29-13 lead.

However, Cheslin Kolbe’s wayward pass saw Delguy intercept the ball to put the game back on a knife edge.

A missed penalty by Carreras in the dying stages saw the Pumas run out of time as Rodrigo Isgro’s 80th-minute try would only serve as consolation for the South Americans as they finished last on the Rugby Championship standings. 

ARGENTINA 27 (13) – Tries: Bautista Delguy (2) and Rodrigo Isgro Conversions: Santiago Carreras (3) Penalty Goals: Carreras (2)

BOKS 29 (10) – Tries: Cobus Reinach (2) and Malcolm Marx (2) Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3) Penalty Goal: Feinberg-Mngomezulu