South Africa vs Argentina LIVE: Rugby Championship result and reaction as Springboks hold off Pumas
South Africa 22-21 Argentina: The Springboks withstood waves of pressure from the visitors to sign off the Rugby Championship with a home win
Flyhalf Manie Libbok scored a breakaway try against the run of play to secure South Africa a bruising 22-21 victory over Argentina and earn a second-place finish in the Rugby Championship at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The Springboks had to withstand heavy Argentine pressure, some of their own making through poor execution, but managed to grind out the win as they also scored tries through lock Eben Etzebeth and centre Damian de Allende.
Argentina were in the contest all the way but battled to break down the resolute home defence and got tries late on through wing Mateo Carreras and replacement Gonzalo Bertranou as the visitors pushed for what would have been a first ever win in Johannesburg.
New Zealand claimed the Rugby Championship trophy earlier on Saturday with a comprehensive 38-7 victory over Australia in Melbourne but the Boks’ victory sees them end second, with Argentina in third.
Follow live updates from South Africa vs Argentina in the final round of the Rugby Championship below
KICK OFF!
Argentina will get us underway. A blast on the whistle and off we go!
South Africa vs Argentina
A long pause after the Himno Nacional Argentino as a few dignitaries amble out for some handshakes with the players and officials, an ill-timed interruption, the crowd growing restless waiting for the South African anthem. Soon the Ellis Park faithful are permitted to perform, joining the youth choir in their rendition. Francois Pienaar, John Smit and Siya Kolisi - winning skippers in 1995, 2007 and 2019 - stand in front of Duane Vermeulen, looking proudly up towards the heavens as they sing.
South Africa vs Argentina: Match officials
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ire)
ARs: Nika Amashukeli (Geo) & Chris Busby (Ire)
TMO: Brett Cronan (Aus)
South Africa vs Argentina
The Ndlovu Youth Choir treat the Ellis Park crowd, someway below capacity, to a rather charming rendition of “World in Union”, the Rugby World Anthem sung as some of South Africa’s winning squad members in 1995 and 2007 make their way around the pitch. Plenty of the 2019 vintage in the Springboks side today, looking for another statement of intent ahead of their defence later in the year.
South Africa vs Argentina
One more Rugby Championship ding-dong, then, before we call this year’s competition to a close and accelerate towards the World Cup. Second spot on the ladder is up for grabs to today’s winner - and it’s a gorgeous evening in Johannesburg, the temperature due to drop significantly tomorrow but the dipping sun shining bright at Ellis Park.
Rugby Championship LIVE - South Africa vs Argentina
You fancy South Africa will be fast out of the blocks today having failed to really fire a shot in the first 20 in Auckland a fortnight ago. The Springboks found joy playing with ambition against Australia, and there might well be spaces wider against an Argentina backline without a couple of key defensive lieutenants. That Willie le Roux has started all three of South Africa’s games in this competition is illustrative of his importance to this side as a second distributor - Le Roux really took control with Damian Willemse struggling in that defeat to New Zealand, engineering a second half rally, and I’m excited to see him go to work with Manie Libbok again after they painted pretty pictures in partnership against the Wallabies.
Rugby Championship LIVE - South Africa vs Argentina
South Africa’s players are out and about on the Ellis Park surface and beginning to ramp up their preparations. This is a farewell fixture for the side, their last on home soil before they head off to France to defend their World Cup crown. Duane Vermeulen is taking it all in, this his swansong in South Africa, with the number eight all but certain to retire whenever the Springboks’ French adventure ends.
Rugby Championship LIVE - South Africa vs Argentina
Still a little while until kick-off in Jo’burg, but today also sees the start of the Summer Nations Series, or the World Cup warm-ups as they might more commmonly be called. The rest of Europe gets into the swing of things next weekend but for now Scotland and Italy are the lone performers on the bill, their encounter up and running at a rather miserable looking Murrayfield. Plenty of experimentation in both starting line-ups, and a relatively clunky start - an obstinate seagull has been the highlight of the first ten minutes.
Rugby Championship LIVE - South Africa vs Argentina
I thought Marco van Staden was excellent against Australia in the first game of this year’s Rugby Championship, filling in for the injured Siya Kolisi on the openside and offering a similar blend of breakdown acumen and carrying threat. It is understandable that Jacques Nienaber has returned to the back row trio that started in Pretoria today, Van Staden, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Duane Vermeulen a nicely balanced unit.
The latest news on the absent Springboks skipper is good, by the way, with Kolisi reportedly ahead of schedule in his recovery and able to have some involvement in yesterday’s captain’s run at Ellis Park. Handre Pollard is on the mend, too - Jacques Nienaber has suggested that both might be back to face Wales in Cardiff on Saturday 19 August.
Rugby Championship LIVE - South Africa vs Argentina
South Africa, meanwhile, are bracing for the physical challenge this Pumas pack might pose, Argentina shorn of a couple of back five regulars but still with real bite in the second and back rows.
“It’s going to be a tough game. Argentina are physical in the scrums, mauls and lineouts, so we have to man up,” Trevor Nyakane said earlier this week.
“They’ve come a long way from being a team that just wants to be physical. They are big on their lineouts and scrums, and if you are not alert, they can put you under pressure.
“No matter how much you dominate, they never go away. They like to go to dark places where other teams don’t necessarily go.”
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