Rugby Union: South Africans pound Pumas

SOUTH AFRICA A demolished the Argentine Pumas 56-12 yesterday, running in seven tries without reply to dent the tourists' morale ahead of Saturday's first Test in Port Elizabeth.

The tourists held their own for the first half hour but were then swept aside by a wave of South African attacks and the boot of Eric Herbert.

Herbert converted six of the seven tries and also kicked three penalties for a haul of 21 points.

Three Herbert penalties were the only scores in the first 30 minutes, a period in which the Pumas did well at the line-outs but when Chris Badenhorst won the race to a chip kick for the A side's first try it was the signal for the floodgates to open.

The Pumas' only response were four penalties from Francisco Garcia.