The world champion Springboks have done it again. In a bruising one-off Test at the Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires on Saturday, 8 August, South Africa outlasted a fired-up Argentina 17-10 to stretch their remarkable winning streak to twelve consecutive internationals.
It was never going to be pretty. As The Herald reported, the Pumas came out swinging in front of their home crowd and led 10-3 for most of the first half, with flyhalf Santiago Carreras keeping the scoreboard ticking and Benjamin Grondona crossing for the hosts.
A Test of Character
Champion teams find a way, and this Springbok side has made a habit of it. Edwill van der Merwe struck back for South Africa to bring the sides level at 10-10 by the break, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu adding points from the tee.
The decisive moment came in the 63rd minute. From a close-range scrum, powerhouse loose forward Cameron Hanekom crashed over for the try that broke Argentine hearts, and the ever-reliable Handre Pollard slotted the conversion to make it 17-10.
Even then, the drama was not done. Argentina hammered away at the South African line through a 15-phase attack after the final hooter, and when substitute wing Matias Moroni knocked on with the tryline at his mercy, the green-and-gold wall had held firm one last time. It was the kind of defensive stand that has become the hallmark of this team.
Depth That Wins Championships
What makes the victory even sweeter is the context. Several Springboks were making their first appearances of the season after returning from injury, yet the machine barely missed a beat against a Pumas outfit desperate to make a statement. South Africa sit proudly at the top of the World Rugby rankings, and performances like this one show exactly why the four-time world champions remain the standard in the global game.
Next Up: The All Blacks Come to Town
The winning run now rolls on towards the fixture every South African fan circles on the calendar. The All Blacks arrive for a blockbuster series, starting at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 22 August before the teams meet again at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on 29 August, with a third clash set for Baltimore in the United States on 12 September.
Twelve wins on the trot, the world number one ranking in hand, and the greatest rivalry in rugby on home soil next. There has rarely been a better time to be a Springbok supporter, and if Buenos Aires proved anything, it is that this team simply refuses to lose.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
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