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New Zealand have won The Rugby Championship after their resounding win over the Wallabies left South Africa with too much ground to make up in their clash with Argentina.
South Africa ran on to Kings Park’s heavy pitch knowing they had to get a bonus point and win by 39 or more. They achieved neither with a five tries to three, 38-21 victory.
Chasing a score against a tough team dedicated to using all their fouls like an NBA team is no picnic.
It is far too easy to cut corners. A kick for touch is missed or a cleaner is late and the inexorable pressure is transferred to the favourite chasing a number.
For about 35 minutes of the first half, the Boks camped in the Pumas’ territory and bashed away at the line.
Argentina used nine penalties to thwart the assault. That cost them two yellow cards.
In the meantime, the home team scored a rare pushover try, with Jasper Wiese gently pushing down on the ball. A maul try by rampant Siya Kolisi took the lead to 14.
But it had taken too long. Thus, time became the enemy of the Boks.
Frans Steyn missed three penalty kicks to touch. An Eben Etzebeth try was disallowed, with a call that he had transferred the ball to Siya Kolisi.
Willie le Roux was raging at the clock-killing ploys of the Pumas who looked out on their feet.
But in the last minutes of the first half, Bok momentum was lost.
Frans Steyn of South Africa is tackled during The Rugby Championship match between South Africa and Argentina in Durban. (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
First, it was a curious decision by Kolisi and his leadership team to have Steyn take (and make) a 55 m penalty goal, when they could have ended the half in the Puma 22 going for the third try and the bonus point.
Down 0-17, the Pumas unleashed a speed maul of their own, and a few phases later, had scored through livewire scrumhalf Gonzalez Bertranou.
If a 17-7 lead felt bad (and it did for all Bok fans) it was still a good lead with 40 minutes to go.
Ominously, rain was poised to roll in, but the feeling was the slow poison of South African rugby would do its work in the final half hour. Or, could the Pumas manage another Durban miracle?
The Pumas began with intent. A kick to the Bok corner after Canan Moodie was whistled for illegal shepherding a chaser, and they won a maul penalty against Kolisi.
When Julian Montoya was pushed out to touch from a brilliant lineout move, it felt like a big loss. But nerves were obviously affecting the Boks, who chased every chance too hard.
Soon it was a loose kick by Steyn feeding a Puma counterattack and one of the best forwards in the competition, Juan Martin Gonzalez showed big pace to finish and score in the corner.
Almost as importantly, this gave Emiliano Boffelli a chance to chew up another minute, and hit an excellent conversion. With the score 17-14 after 48 minutes; the All Blacks had two hands on the trophy with only the engraver’s job to go.
A Michael Cheika team does not easily go away.
The Boks brought on the first parts of the Bomb Squad: Duane Vermeulen is who you’d want on. The Pumas buckled down for a battle royale.
With a half hour to go and a slender three point lead, the Kings Park crowd (52,000) was quiet.
Small moments in the first half had doomed big moments in the second: those long pauses and missed kicks for touch.
Scrum dominance by Frans Malherbe (plus three on the match) and Marx gave the Boks territory and a penalty try at 55 minutes. The Pumas had their third yellow card down 24-14; 29 points short of a Bok Championship.
Jesse Kriel’s dive through a ruck gave the Pumas an attacking lineout. The rest of the Bomb Squad trundled on and defused the threat.
Twenty minutes; 29 points to make up. The DJ chose Bryan Adams’s “Summer of 69” to pair the moment. Nine Inch Nails would’ve been better.
Rain began to fall, and the typical swirling coastal wind kicked up.
The TMO had been fairly tame, but decided to hyper analyse an Etzebeth push of a Puma into a Bok who pushed a Puma into a Puma. Card for Etzebeth.
It all seemed to fit 2022.
A very long advantage, extended past a line break, and the Pumas were poised to put the nail in Bok cup ambitions.
Faf de Klerk rolled on with 18 minutes to go, along with Kurt Lee Arendse. Could they spark more speed of ball?
Errors — all noticed, all pinged — prevented flow for either side.
32 penalties after 65 minutes; five cards (Faf was off almost immediately). The Year of the Ref. 13-man South Africa were now just trying to hang on to a Test win against full-strength Argentina.
Matias Moroni fed off the overlap to make the score 19-24. Boffelli’s crucial conversion was perfect. The Boks’ lead was a narrow 24-21 with ten to play.
It had to be an official intervention that gave a spark. A high tackle by Matias Allemano on Arendse gave the Boks an entry to the 22. Damian de Allende stormed through the defence, before Kremer grasscut Etzebeth.
A 5m lineout to Kwagga Smith led to yet another penalty try (and sixth card, this one to Joel Sclavi).
It was 31-21 South Africa and the match seemed to slip away from the visitors as the ball became soapy.
Six minutes from the end, a Puma scrum disintegrated allowing the 15-man Boks to build a red zone attack, which sputtered.
The rest of the match was about to be owned by the referee and the humid weather.
The whistle was like some tropical bird’s mating call ringing out on bluffs facing the warm Indian Ocean.
But then a lovely series of passes found Arendse on the wing and it was a 38-21 win after all. Twenty-two points short: but think off all the tries waved off over the tourney by these powerful Boks. They have only themselves to blame.
Five tries to three. Perfect kicking off the tee. A whopping 39 penalties. Six cards. A sloppy end.
Newcomers Gonzalez, Jaden Hendrickse, Moodie, and Bertranou all stood tall; but proceedings were overshadowed by officious officials.
Denial job done, Pumas; the Wallabies left the Boks too much to do.
The Rugby Championship returned to its mean: the All Blacks’ ability to score when it mattered most, finishing better than a strong defensive South African team with some scoring frailties.
The All Blacks built through the Championship to finish the more clinical finishing team. South Africa was clearly the second best side. Argentina and Australia seem equal.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.