South Africa ground out a 22-21 win over Argentina in their final Rugby Championship match at Ellis Park on Saturday.
But the scoreboard could so easily have read in favour of the visitors, with Los Pumas squandering a number of points-scoring opportunities.
Flyhalf Santiago Carreras was the biggest culprit on the day, missing two penalty kicks and a try conversion, while Springbok prop Steven Kitshoff won two crucial breakdown penalties on the Boks’ tryline to prevent the hosts from scoring an additional 10-14 points.
It was a tough tussle in Johannesburg - thanks @lospumas for a proper Test 👏#StrongerTogether #RSAvARG #Springboks #TRC2023 pic.twitter.com/9RQeBwcHSu
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 29, 2023
At the end of the day, SA triumphed despite conceding 12 penalties with first-half tries from Eben Etzebeth and Damian de Allende and a second-half touchdown from Manie Libbok getting them over the line.
The Argies, who had fought back from 15-9 down at half time in a dominant second-half display, crossed the Boks’ whitewash through Mateo Carreras and Gonzalo Bertranou.
Coach Jacques Nienaber’s men can be excused for what was a nervy display, with their cages being rattled straight from kickoff when scrumhalf Grant Williams was knocked out cold and stretchered off after a kick charge-down by Argentina’s Juan Cruz Mallia saw the fullback crash into the head of the Bok scrumhalf.
SA were penalised in the movement for an attempted ball steal and conceded another penalty straight afterwards for offside, allowing Carreras to make it 3-0 as early as the third minute.
Argentina doubled their lead through Carreras in the ninth minute when Bok wing Kurt-Lee Arendse was penalised for not rolling away.
The Boks replied with a Manie Libbok three-pointer two minutes later, before some improvisation from a lineout saw the man who started it all, Etzebeth, finish in the corner a few phases later to make it 8-6 for the Boks after the first quarter.
SA had their second touchdown in the 26th minute when centre De Allende scored off the back of a rolling maul (15-6).
Carreras then made it 15-9 at half time when Pieter-Steph du Toit was penalised for playing the ball on the floor.
It's half-time in Joburg, where the #Springboks are in the lead after scoring two tries to nil 👌#StrongerTogether #RSAvARG #TRC2023 pic.twitter.com/ITIEuYjSV6
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 29, 2023
The second half struggled to get going, with the Pumas threatening the Boks’ line, but SA stood their man on defence.
It was defensive pressure that led to some breathing space when, in the 69th minute, Faf de Klerk pounced on a loose ball and sprinted before offloading to Libbok for his first Test try (22-9).
The Argies, though, didn’t go to bed and, after De Allende was yellow-carded for a deliberate knockdown, scored through Mateo Carreras.
Fortunately for SA, the other Carreras failed to convert and that proved to be the difference between winning and losing, as Argentina touched down again through replacement scrumhalf Gonzalo Bertranou at the death.
The conversion meant it finished 22-21, with SA ending second in the Rugby Championship and Argentina third.
Springboks – Tries: Eben Etzebeth, Damian de Allende and Manie
Libbok; Conversions: Libbok (2). Penalty: Libbok.
Argentina – Tries: Mateo Carreras and Gonzalo Bertranou; Conversion: Santiago Carreras; Penalties: Santiago Carreras (3).
Springbok 22 (15) Argentina 21 (9)