Argentina vs Springboks: Rugby Championship live scores, blog

Tenth-ranked Argentina and the sixth-ranked Springboks take their rivalry across the Atlantic, and all the way to the foothills of the Andes, to play a settling test under the reliably clear blue skies of Mendoza, heaven for foodies. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog from 5:10am AEST.

Both teams have a tradition of grilling meat outside in wine country (for the Saffas, a 6-hour braai and a Pinotage or as I prefer, a Sauvignon Blanc; the Argies do a 9-hour asado with a Malbec or a glass of bonarda or torrentes) and sophisticates like Francois Louw or Nicolas Sanchez might bump into each other in the trendy tasting rooms on the busy Arístides Villanueva, and Pablo Matera and Faf de Klerk may find themselves in the same popular bodega; but their coaches will try to keep the players focused on finishing the job.

Refreshed Eben Etzebeth can basically do exactly what he does at home, here near the Andes: whitewater rafting, fly fishing for trout, horseback riding into the Andes, biking through the vineyards, and serious hiking.

For the Boks, Rassie Erasmus banked the full five points from Round 1 courtesy of a monstrous scrum, forward carry and ruck for all 80 minutes and flashes of backline brilliance for about 25, to set up a collision course with the All Blacks, but only if that ascendancy continues here in Argentina.

Winning away has proven almost impossible for South African teams lately, as Erasmus is fully aware, and another sloppy start could doom the campaign just as it began so promisingly.

The Boks haven’t won in Australia since 2013 or in New Zealand since 2009. So, this is the ideal place to start a new habit.

They will have confidence in the backline, especially if a Bok 10 can play well, because Willie le Roux, Aphiwe Dyantyi, Makazole Mapimpi, and Lukyanho Am are getting good go-forward from basher 12 Andre the Giant Esterhuizen if de Klerk gets quick ball, after four or five strong forward carries.

A shell-shocked Mario Ledesma in the Durban post-game said the Boks are the “most physical side in world rugby, by far” and said his players did all they could, but the “dam broke” after a while, as big Bok carriers took the ball hard to the line, over and over, with two or more timely cleaners, a lively scrumhalf clearing from the base (sometimes inaccurately, but with one notable exception, quickly), and continued fast finishing from the wings, as Willie le Roux persists with his superior vision and clever kicks.

Conceding six tries, especially if more were converted, is never going to lead to a victory in the Republic.

Ledesma will be counting on the volume and ferocity of Mendocinos, who he hopes will stop eating milanesa and beef tongue long enough to shout his team to another famous victory.

Argentina has to start winning. They will be desperate to perform as well as the Jaguares did for much of Super Rugby; the big dance in Japan is starting to get close.

Ledesma has been allowed by UAR to break the rule in special situations. Juan Figallo was probably the best Puma on the park last week, except for Pablo Matera and Nicolas Sanchez.

This week, Ledesma has brought in a reserve hooker from the Top 14, Facundo Bosch, who may be needed to stem the second half tide again.

With reserve hooker Julian Montoya and no replacement with Test caps, it’s another Bosch (no relation to Marcelo Bosch of the Saracens, I am told by Nobes).

Argentina has lost 17 of their last 19 tests. Ledesma has to build a competitive squad for the World Cup and he knows he needs European-based players, like Marcelo Bosch, the other Bosch, Figallo, Facundo Isa (Toulon), Santiago Cordero(Exeter), Ramiro Herrera (Stade Francais), Juan Imhoff (Racing), Patricio Fernandez (Clermont) and Lucas Noguera Paz (Bath).

Maybe so, but the players currently in the squad have to lift. Matera is going to have to counter Marx and Louw at the breakdown, or the Boks will dominate again.

The ball remained in play in Durban for a staggering 40 minutes. Even a phenomenally aerobic 32-31 game like the Chiefs vs Canes in the quarterfinals was 36 minutes of ball in play; and that is the top end of this stat in history. For most of rugby’s history until this century, a 30-minute ball-in-play mark was high.

This level of exhaustion helped a fit team like these 2018 Boks win 8 turnovers in Round 1 (double the Puma’s harvest) and allowed an elite athlete like Marx to snaffle a remarkable 4 turnovers by himself.

Look for the Pumas to try to slow the game to a set piece to set piece march, but when they have the ball, to complete more offloads than the Boks (19 offloads in Round 1) and attack the 8-9 Bok channel. Anything to avoid having to attempt 220 tackles again, as they did at Kings Park (33 misses).

Erasmus still needs to find his clear second scrumhalf. We know he is not impressed with Ross Cronjé, who did not survive the cut to make this trip. Is the reserve halfback the raw, pacy Embrose Papier or the kicking nine Ivan van Zyl?

The slippery Papier is a rugby form of dulce de leche, and the “boring but accurate” van Zyl is a jamon crudo (ham sandwich). It may very well be horses for courses. Thus, his selection for Mendoza may not be much of a signal.

Erasmus does seem comfortable with platooning wings, but they are of a similar type: fast, faster, and fastest. Makazole Mapimpi would give lightning-fast Aphiwe Dyantyi a good fright over 100 metres. But he also likes progress; players who improve and never think they have arrived.

Mapimpi is Erasmus’ pick for most improved Bok: “If there were certain aspects of his game that were a three or a four out of ten [the high ball], they’re now closer to eight or nine.”

Last week, the Boks only really clicked into gear in the second-half, scoring 17 unanswered points to complete a thrilling comeback and continue their impressive record under their charismatic new mentor.

The former Munster boss will be delighted with his wing duo and inexperienced centre pairing (playing together for the first time) as well as handing Damian Willemse and Marco van Staden their debuts. It was only an uncharacteristically poor goal-kicking game by Pollard which kept the Pumas in it.

Argentina started well enough, with a few opportunistic tries, but by now, after seeing the video from the England series and from Durban, they must know this version of the Springboks can score in a hurry, with quick and irresistible bursts of traditional South African power and pace, using much more compact panzer tanks of forwards, before the speedsters find gaping holes or kicks find the grass for the chasers.

Prediction: the Boks have their kicking boots laced up, South Africa by 10.

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