The notion that the Springboks are a team that concentrates on their forward power and ignores any attempt to open up the game was given a gut-punch as they ran Argentina off their feet in the final of the Rugby Championship on Saturday.
The score at a packed stadium in Mbombela was 48-7 and tells the story of not only the Springboks dominance but some sublime options and running lines, complemented by their powerful scrum and general control up front of which the scrum in particular remained a major platform for their success.
The final score of 48-7 (halftime 29-7) included seven tries and underlines the total dominance of the Springboks.
It all started at the scrum (one would like to add “of course” to this statement!) as the Pumas were pinned on their tryline for about 12 minutes.
The backs then came into their own with sublime running, their options of running lines, timings of passes and outstanding support and interplay with the forwards, with Man-of-the-Match Pieter-Steph du Toit again outstanding.
It was the Springboks first win of the competition since 2019, and Argentina, after their best season yet in the Rugby Championship, fell well short of their goal to win the title through a bonus point win (five log points) and limit South Africa to single log point in the Mbombela match.
Argentina’s season, for the first time through a win against all three the other t teams, South Africa Australia and New Zealand, showed their potential but were more than just pipped at the post by a memorable South African win.
- The dominance of the Springboks in the double round against the other top Southern Hemisphere teams is depicted in their 24 league points with New Zealand second on 16, followed by Argentina 14 (both with three wins each) and the Wallabies on 5 with just a single win.
