Springboks hold off Pumas to make history with Rugby Championship defence

This was far from a vintage display, with the Boks once again forced to overcome a slow start before ultimately gaining the upper hand - and very nearly losing it again at the death.

The Boks didn't make a great start to the match, as Canan Moodie got a bit overeager in the tackle and made head-to-head contact, getting 10 minutes in the bin for his troubles and putting the Pumas on the front foot.

Argentina rode that advantage to strike first, staying patient in the red zone before creating the overlap for winger Bautista Delguy to score in the corner and draw first blood.

The Boks needed a spark, and they found it when their scrum powered through Argentina's feed to reclaim possession. A penalty was awarded soon after and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu wasted little time in getting the Boks on the board.

A series of handling errors and penalties were preventing the men in green and gold from gaining any real territory or possession, however, and when Marx was pinged for hands in the ruck, the Pumas pointed to the posts to extend their seven-point advantage.

The errors were coming thick and fast from the Boks and when the defence strayed offside again, Santiago Carreras was handed another easy kick to stretch the lead to 10. A few minutes later, Moodie was very lucky not to pick up a second yellow after what looked suspiciously like a deliberate knock-down, as the Boks continued to live dangerously.

With the first half winding down, the Boks finally enjoyed a sustained spell of attack inside the Pumas' 22. The Argentine defence stood firm, but persisting with scrums under penalty advantage, the pressure eventually told as Cobus Reinach darted from the base to crash over. Feinberg-Mngomezulu added the extras to bring the Boks back to within three as a disappointing first half came to a somewhat more hopeful conclusion.

A knock-on from the kick-off was not what the doctor ordered for the Pumas to start the second half, giving the Bok scrum an early chance to rumble - and win a penalty. To make matters worse, a subsequent TMO check confirmed a high hit from Pumas prop Mayco Vivas, resulting in 10 minutes in the bin.

From the ensuing advantage, the Boks powered a rolling maul to the line, where Malcolm Marx did what he does best - break off for a trademark finish in the corner. Feinberg-Mngomezulu couldn't add the extras, but the Boks were in front for the first time.

Moments later, Marx was on hand again to make a crucial steal, snuffing out the danger after the Pumas had broken into the Bok 22.

When the Pumas went backwards and lost another scrum, the Boks kicked for the corner, launching wave after wave until an audacious offload from RG Snyman sent Reinach over for his second try. Feinberg-Mngomezulu added the extras as South Africa took a 22-13 lead.

The Pumas' discipline was starting to let them down under the relentless pressure, and the Boks soon rode a few more penalty advantages to their fourth try, Marx forcing his way over from close quarters to stretch the lead even further and move the Boks into bonus-point territory.

But then came an error from the Boks and a try for Argentina - totally against the run of play - as a wild pass from Kolbe succeeded only in picking out a charging Delguy, who ran in unopposed. Carreras added the extras to bring Pumas back to within nine points.

That lit a fire under the Argentines and they finished strongly, forcing the Boks to defend for long periods, and they even managed another try with the final play of the match thanks to a superbly taken crossfield kick. It was too little too late to change the outcome, however, as the Boks had already done enough by that point to ensure the title was theirs.

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