Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu makes history as Boks thump Argentina in Durban

It was a career-making display from Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who scored a hat-trick of tries and dominated the game with his incredible all-around play to surpass Percy Montgomery's long-standing Bok record of 35 points in a single match set against Namibia in 2007, as the South Africans ran riot in the second half.

The Boks will now head to Twickenham for the return fixture with their tails up and with their destiny in their own hands, knowing that a victory will be enough to see them defend their Rugby Championship crown.

The Boks took the early lead after winning a penalty at scrum time, giving Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu the chance to slot one from just inside half-way, but the Pumas edged ahead through back-to-back Santiago Carreras penalties after the Boks twice strayed offside.

The home side drew level after a tackle off the ball as a quiet and cagey first quarter drew to a close, but Argentina soon retook the lead after the Boks strayed offside again, this time at the lineout.

Just before the half-hour mark, a sniping run from Feinberg-Mngomezulu finally sparked something on attack for the Boks, with a few powerful phases taking them up to the line, where a quick ball to Eben Etzebeth saw the big man crash over. Unfortunately, a TMO check spotted a knock-on in the build-up, albeit caused by an errant boot from an Argentine player.

The Boks turned down a shot at goal to kick for the corner, and the gamble paid off as a rolling maul powered Malcolm Marx over for their first try. Feinberg-Mngomezulu missed the conversion, but the hosts were back in front.

Then came an extraordinary moment, as Cheslin Kolbe picked up a dead ball and drop-kicked it across the field for Feinberg-Mngomezulu to restart the action. Unfortunately for the winger, his kick had effectively restarted play, allowing Santiago Chocobares to gather the ball and score under the posts.

The madness didn't stop there, as the Boks hit back almost immediately with a bit of individual brilliance from Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who hacked a long kick into space and then simply outskinned the Argentine defence to win the race for the ball, picking it up and dotting down.

The Boks continued to make silly mistakes, conceding another soft penalty that put the Pumas on the front foot. Marx then collapsed a rolling maul that initially looked to be held up, handing Argentina a penalty try and earning a yellow card as the visitors reclaimed the lead.

The Boks were given one final chance in the half to attack, however, and made it count, Feinberg-Mngomezulu stepping past a couple of defenders and over the line for his second try of the evening. The flyhalf converted his own try as an extraordinary first half in Durban came to a close with the Boks leading 25-23.

The Boks made the perfect start to the second half despite being a man down, as a perfectly weighted crossfield kick from Feinberg-Mngomezulu picked out Kolbe at pace, with the winger collecting the ball and charging over the line for a scintillating try.

Marx returned to the field shortly after, and when the Boks won a penalty and opted to kick for the corner, Feinberg-Mngomezulu showed his class again with a near 360-degree dummy step to flummox the Argentine defence and stretch over the line for his hat-trick try.

But Argentina hit straight back through Tomas Albornoz, after Juan Cruz Mallia jinked his way through the Bok defence and offloaded to the flyhalf, who had only just come onto the field.

Then came an audacious crossfield kick from Feinberg-Mngomezulu, picking out Kolbe clear across the field, with Moodie nearly converting after a kick through from the little winger but arriving just too late to dot the ball down.

Another brilliant break from Feinberg-Mngomezulu put the Boks back on the front foot, setting up one of the season's best tries, as superb interplay between backs and forwards culminated in Morne van den Berg crashing over.

The Boks were well and truly on top now, and when the Pumas failed to deal with a high ball near their own try line, there was nothing they could do to stop Manie Libbok from sending a long, looping pass over to Ethan Hooker, who offloaded to Pieter-Steph du Toit for their seventh try.

With five minutes to play, it was time for try number eight as Libbok scythed through the defence before regathering his own chip to dot down, the Boks' bonus-point now secure.

There was time for one more exclamation mark try, as Du Toit crashed through a tired Argentina defence to pick up his second of the evening, allowing Feinberg-Mngomezulu to kick his way into the record books with the simplest of conversions.

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