South Africa turned on the power in the second half to beat Argentina 29-27 at Twickenham on Saturday and retain the Rugby Championship title for the first time, edging out New Zealand on points difference.
The All Blacks had earlier defeated Australia 28-14 in Perth, a result that meant the Springboks required only a win to claim the crown given their superior points difference. Despite trailing 13-3 after a ragged opening, South Africa’s forwards took charge to secure a sixth title.
Tries from hooker Malcolm Marx and scrum-half Cobus Reinach, who crossed twice, gave the Boks a 29-13 lead before Argentina’s late rally narrowed the margin. The Pumas crossed twice in the final quarter through Bautista Delguy and Rodrigo Isgro, while Santiago Carreras struck the post with a penalty that might have set up a grandstand finish.
Reinach, named man of the match, said: “We had not won it back-to-back before. We still have a lot of improvements to make but we are getting there. Argentina keep fighting all game, they have a lot of dog in them.”
Argentina had started brightly, Delguy finishing superbly to give them an early lead. Carreras added two penalties as South Africa’s handling errors blunted their possession and dominance at the scrum. Reinach finally broke through before half-time to cut the deficit to 13-10.
After the interval, Argentina prop Mayco Vivas was shown a yellow card for a high tackle and the South African pack struck immediately, driving Marx over. Reinach and Marx both claimed their second tries as the champions moved clear.
Although Delguy intercepted for his second and Isgro added a late consolation, the Springboks’ earlier dominance had done enough. They and New Zealand each finished on 19 points, but South Africa’s points difference of plus-57 comfortably eclipsed the All Blacks’ plus-eight.
Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi admitted: “We fought to the end and at times played some good rugby, but we know the scrum is their strength. Congratulations to South Africa. They were the best team today and the best in the tournament.”
