It was so near and yet so far for the Springboks as they lost 29-28 in their Rugby Championship clash against Argentina in Santiago del Estero on Saturday night.
Manie Libbok missed a late penalty to secure the victory and title, but there were a number of attacking opportunities wasted by the South Africans throughout the match, and a series of defensive lapses too.
Here is how we rated the Boks...
Aphelele Fassi: 7/10
Well-taken early try as he timed his run to perfection out wide to slice through from an excellent long pass from Handré Pollard. Was a constant threat with ball-in-hand, and generally solid under the high ball, despite a few errors in general play.
Fassi straight through the gap 💨
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 21, 2024
The Springboks start brilliantly to go 14-0 up in the opening 10 minutes.
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Kurt-Lee Arendse: 5
Was unlucky to get a yellow card for a tackle on Santiago Carreras, where he appeared to make contact with the chest instead of head. Made one or two typically thrilling runs, but was well-marked by the Argentinian defence.
Kurt-Lee Arendse sent to the bin 🟨
The Springboks will have to make do with 14 men for the next 10 minutes.
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Jesse Kriel: 7
Dynamic line to run in the second Bok try after a multi-phase attack, and took on the defence with ball-in-hand. Tried hard to shut down the Argentina attack, but Tomas Albornoz made life difficult with the variety in his play.
Lukhanyo Am: 5
Had a hand in the first try with good hands to Pollard. Had his usual soft touches and ran hard at the defence, but made a few misreads on defence as Argentina made lots of ground with their inside passes.
Makazole Mapimpi: 5
Chased kicks hard as usual, and looked for work on attack – although he didn’t get many opportunities in space. Made a couple of mistakes in defence, including being dummied by Albornoz for a try.
Handré Pollard: 8
The Bok flyhalf came out to play, and showcased his full arrange of skills – although he was replaced by Manie Libbok a bit too early in the 47th minute, with the heat perhaps taking its too. Made a sumptuous scoring pass to Fassi for the opening try, tried an early chip over the defence that nearly worked, and brought energy and width to the attack. Also slotted his goal-kicks and launched good up-and-unders, but missed a few tackles.
Cobus Reinach: 6
Superb decision to take a quick tap for a vital try before halftime, where his pace got him over in the left corner. Provided a quicker service from the base to the backline. A few unnecessary grubbers on attack, and his box-kicks weren’t always on point.
Jasper Wiese: 7
Better ball retention this time as he made his trademark charges into the opposition defence, and controlled the ball well at the back of the scrum. Put in some big hits too.
Ben-Jason Dixon: 6
Was a workhorse in the tight loose, making the hard yards at close quarters, and chasing ball-carriers all around the pitch.
Marco van Staden: 6
Missed the tackle on Santiago Chocobares that led to the first Argentina try, but made two excellent turnovers and got stuck on defence.
Ruan Nortjé: 6
He may get some of the blame for the lost lineouts, but it was seldom fully his fault. Played over 70 minutes in taxing conditions and was forced off with a cut to the head, and never gave up the chase in defence and as a ball-carrier.
Salmaan Moerat (captain): 5
Put himself about and got stuck in as a defender and carrier at close quarters, but still needs to produce that big performance to underline his presence as a bruising Test No 4.
Thomas du Toit: 6
Played his part in a dominant Bok scrum to earn a number of penalties. Made one great breakdown turnover, and put in some carries and tackles around the ruck fringes.
A historic win for Argentina over the Springboks, who continue to show the world what they're made of 🇦🇷👏 pic.twitter.com/JBaDKI9Rcd
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 21, 2024
Malcolm Marx: 6
A couple of crucial lineout overthrows on attack, particularly the one before halftime, were costly. But Marx was as strong as ever in general play, barging his way through with ball-in-hand and putting in some powerful tackles.
Ox Nche: 8
Set the tone in the scrums by popping the Argentina tighthead to get a penalty. Made a number of impactful surges with the ball, and was busy on defence too.
Best off the Bench – Eben Etzebeth: 8
Equalled Victor Matfield’s Bok record of 127 Tests. Brought some calmness to the Bok lineout, and made a crucial steal in the air with five minutes to go. Added a real physical presence on attack and defence.
Time to shift the focus, a massive Test awaits in Mpumalanga next weekend 👀#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold #ARGvRSA pic.twitter.com/RQkpChhH5w
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 21, 2024
Points-Scorers
Springboks 28 – Tries: Aphelele Fassi, Jesse Kriel, Cobus Reinach. Conversions: Handré Pollard (2). Penalties: Pollard (2), Manie Libbok (1).
Argentina 29 – Tries: Mateo Carreras, Pablo Matera, Joel Sclavi, Tomas Albornoz. Conversions: Albornoz (3). Penalties: Albornoz (1).