South Africa’s Rugby Championship victory over Argentina last weekend in Port Elizabeth has put the Springboks into second place in the standings.
Los Pumas needs a win this weekend at home if they are to remain in the hunt for the Championship.
South Africa have won all four games this season, equaling the four wins from last year’s disaster season under Allister Coetzee.
The Boks have not won more on the bounce since a run of eight straight wins from 2013 to 2014.
Match detail
We are waiting for the kick-off.
1.00: BEEP! BEEP! We are underway in Argentina. The Pumas beat the Springboks 26-24 in Salta last season and will look to get another W in South America.
3.00: South Africa have early possession and have made their way into Argentina’s half, but the home team win the penalty at the breakdown. Emiliano Boffelli will take a shot from 55 metres.
4.00: PENALTY! Boffelli kicks a monster penalty and gives his team the lead: 3-0
5.00: The Boks win a penalty from the restart and Elton Jantjies will take a shot from 40 metres out, on the angle.
6.00: MISS! He’s pushed it to the left: 3-0
7.00: South Africa win another penalty at the ruck. Jantjies calls for the tee.
8.00: MISS! Jantjies cannot get his radar on target and the Boks remain scoreless: 3-0
9.00: Referee Pascal Gauzere is going to the TMO for foul play. It looks like a no arms tackle.
10.00: YELLOW CARD! Tomás Lavanini is in the bin. Argentina intercepts and runs 80 metres down the field. Somehow, they botch the opportunity and lose possession with a poor kick.
15.00: The visitors are making good progress into the 22 of the hosts. They win a penalty in a good position and opt for a scrum, five metres out.
19.00: TRY Siya Kolisi! The Boks have a throw inside the 10 metres. Jantjies gets the ball and dinks it over the top for Jesse Kriel to pick up. Kolisi is there with the follow-up, going all the way to score under the sticks. Wonderful first-phase try by the Boks: 3-5
20.00: Jantjies adds the extras: 3-7
24.00: Scrum reset. And then another.
27.00: PENALTY! Jantjies slots the penalty goal: 3-10
28.00: TRY Ramiro Moyano! The winger collects the restart after Jesse Kriel is in the wrong position and wrong-footed by the bouncing ball: 8-10
29.00: Juan Martín Hernández curls the ball inside the right-hand post: 10-10
30.00: Andries Coetzee races away for the score, but the referee calls him back for a forward pass in the build up.
34.00: Argentina is using their kick-chase well, pinning the Boks back inside their 22.
35.00: BIG DEFENCE! Great work by Jesse Kriel, JanSerfontein and Raymond Rhule. They held up Joaquín Tuculet, winning the scrum.
36.00: South Africa win another scrum penalty after Ramiro Herrera collapses the set piece. That was good pressure from Beast Mtawarira. Jantjies kicks to touch, but not after the ref talks to Agustín Creevy. The French official warns the hooker about the cynical play and multiple infringements by his team. The next one will be a card.
37.00: YELLOW CARD! Juan Manuel Leguizamón is sent to the sideline for another infringement. Pascal Gauzere had just warned Creevy, but, as per usual, the Argentinian’s discipline is non-existent.
38.00: TRY Elton Jantjies! It came from another lineout drive. The Lions’ fly-half had a lot of work to do, stretching to dot the ball over the whitewash: 10-15
39.00: The Bok standoff slots the conversion from in front: 10-17
40.00: The hooter goes for half-time
The half-time score was Argentina 10 South Africa 17
41.00: BEEP! BEEP! We are back underway in Salta. It has been a stop-start affair, full of handling errors and ill-discipline by the home team. Both sides look off the pace of the Wallabies and Kiwis. Juan Martín Hernández restarts the game.
42.00: Tomás Lavanini loses the ball into touch after a big tackle from ‘Beast’ Mtawarira. the Boks will have the throw inside their half.
44.00: Argentina goes through the phases. They are punching through the middle, then trying to spread the ball wide. However, they are creeping sideways and doing everything at a snail’s pace. After 13 phases, the Pumas get awarded a penalty and they will kick at goal.
45.00: PENALTY! Juan Martín Hernández reduces the deficit to four points: 13-17
46.00: South Africa got in behind the Pumas’ lines with ‘Beast’ powering forward. Tomás Lezana tackles the prop, gets up, and wins the penalty. The Bok loose forwards were too slow to the breakdown.
49.00: TRY Kolisi gets another! South Africa wins the ball on their goal-line after the home team lose it forward. Malcolm Marx gathers and sends a wide pass to Andries Coetzee. The fullback charges forward, plays Courtnall Skosan, who cuts back inside. The wing pops to Coetzee, who is tackled. From the ruck, the Boks get quick ball, go wide to the right. Jesse Kriel plays a one-two with Kolisi and the flanker runs in to score under the posts; what a wonderful try! 10-22
50.00: Jantjies kicks his third conversion and the Boks have an 11-point lead: 13-24
54.00: A kicking battle ensues as both teams look for territory. South Africa’s scrum has been solid. Their lineout drive, as always, is dominant and causing the home team problems.
57.00: The Boks rumble forwards and are in behind the Pumas’ defensive lines. They are getting quick ball and go wide. Tomás Lavanini saves the day, but the lock has deliberately knocked the ball down, stopping the Springboks from scoring. The visitors had an overlap, and surely, would have scored. Lavanini is then involved in an off the ball scuffle with Pieter-Steph du Toit. this might be another yellow and a penalty try.
57.00: Second YELLOW CARD, RED CARD! PENALTY TRY! Lavanini is off after receiving his second yellow card, this time for a professional foul: 13-31
60.00: TRY Matías Moroni! Andries Coetzee misjudges the high ball, clashes with Joaquín Tuculet and loses the ball. Martín Landajo gathers the bouncing ball and plays Moroni on his outside for the score: 18-31
YELLOW CARD! Coetzee is sent to the bin for a late charge which resulted in another scuffle outside the dead-ball line.
61.00: Hernández adds the extras: 20-31
62.00: PENALTY! Argentina is awarded a penalty for Coetzee’s foul play. It is on the halfway line. Emiliano Boffelli calls for the tee…and makes no mistake with a big 50-metres kick: 23-31
65.00: South Africa wins two consecutive penalties; both times they opt for touch and go to their driving maul. Jan Serfontein loses the ball in contact and the Pumas counter-attack. They go wide, sending the ball through the hands before kicking deep into the Bok half.
70.00: Marx wins a turnover penalty at the breakdown. Wonderful work by the Lions hooker. Jantjies calls for the tee.
72.00: PENALTY! It’s good from the flyhalf: 23-34
76.00: The game is breaking up, but to be honest, it has been very scrappy, full of errors and messy at the rucks. Can the Boks hold on for a much-needed away win?
78.00: TRY Jean-Luc du Preez! The youngster gets his first Test try after some quick ball at the ruck. Rudy Paige sent the ball to his left and after some smart hands by Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel, the forward crashes over in the corner: 23-39
79.00: Jantjies slots the wide conversion: 23-41
80.00: The game is restarted, the hooter sounds, and Jantjies clears the ball into the stands.
Full-time
The final score is Argentina 23 (10) South Africa 41 (17)
Scorers
Argentina
Tries – Moyano, Moroni
Pen – Boffelli (2), Hernández
Con – Hernández (2)
Drop –
Cards – Lavanini (Yellow, 10th minute; Yellow, 57th minute – Red), Leguizamón (Yellow, 37th minute)
South Africa
Tries – Kolisi (2), Jantjies, Penalty Try, Du Preez
Pen – Jantjies (2)
Con – Jantjies (4)
Drop –
Cards – Coetzee (Yellow, 60th minute)
Match Officials
Referee: Pascal Gauzere (FFR)
Assistant Ref 1: Romain Poite (FFR)
Assistant Ref 2: Nic Berry (ARU)
TMO: Glenn Newman (NZR)
Teams
Argentina
15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Ramiro Moyano, 13 Matías Orlando, 12 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Juan Martín Hernández, 9 Tomás Cubelli, 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 7 Tomás Lezana, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Matías Alemanno, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 2 Agustín Creevy (captain), 1 Lucas Noguera.
Replacements: 16 Julián Montoya, 17 Santiago García Botta, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Marcos Kremer, 20 Javier Ortega Desio, 21 Martín Landajo, 22 Nicolás Sánchez, 23 Matías Moroni
South Africa
15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Raymond Rhule, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Zaire Cassiem, 7 Jaco Kriel, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth (captain), 3 Coenraad Oosthuizen, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20 Jean-Luc du Preez, 21 Rudy Paige, 22 Curwin Bosch, 23 Damian de Allende
