Bok bench saves the day
South Africa produced a powerful final quarter to sneak a fortuitous 33-31 win over Argentina at Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena, Salta, on Saturday.
Players coming off the bench are meant to make an impact and seldom has replacements made such a huge difference, as the Springboks clung to a narrow lead at the top of the Rugby Championship standing.
Whew! If you were a South African supporter, but you said it with sympathy for the Pumas – lots of sympathy for that 'not again', 'so close' feeling that they must have had.
After all South Africa took its winning lead with only three minutes to go – and even then they had to battle to keep it.
Most of the rest of the game belonged to the Pumas who were more confident, more creative and more composed. In other words they looked like the kind of winner the Springboks are when at their best.
The Springboks were not at their best, even less than they were in the ghastly weather at Loftus Versfeld last week.
To start with their scrumming was atrocious. They put the ball into six scrums and were penalised five times. Those six scrums were also reset 10 times. That means six scrums had 15 unnatural endings. The Pumas were all over them.
The Pumas also won the breakdown, though the Springboks were better at the line-outs winning three Puma line-outs and losing one on their own ball.
That was just the basics, but the Pumas had so much more continuity to their play and even managed to give their wings a real chance. How many chances did the Springbok wings get? One.
When the Pumas led 28-16 after 55 minutes it seemed that they would finally slay the Springbok giant.
But then changes were made to the Springbok side and every bench player improved the team's performance and the Springboks managed to climb their steep Andes to victory.
It was a far, far more entertaining match than that affair in the Pretoria wet but it was the Pumas that above all made it so.
It was hot in Salta – so hot that there was a water break in the middle of each half. There was also a wind that helped the Pumas in the first half.
The Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena was not full, but those who were there, many with bare torsos, were vociferous in their support of the Pumas.
Handré Pollard kicked off and the Springboks won a Puma line-out but the Pumas won the first turnover and they won the first Springbok line-out. That set them attacking. Bismarck du Plessis was penalised at a tackle and Nicolás Sánchez goaled. 3-0 after three minutes. But when South Africa were penalised at their first (destroyed) scrum, he missed as he did just before half-time as well. Six points missed whereas the Springbok kickers, Pollard and Morné Steyn, did not miss one.
South Africa threw into a line-out, Duane Vermeulen caught the throw and Juan Manuel Leguizamón went roaming infield too early. In the midst of whistles and catcalls, Pollard goaled. 3-3 after 10 minutes.
The Pumas threw in quickly from touch and attacked till they were in front of the posts and, after eight phases, Juan Martín Hernández dropped a soaring goal. 6-3 after 12 minutes.
There was an hiatus in the match when the referee looked for a possible tip tackle by South Africa but the incident could not be reproduced and play went on.
After the water break the Pumas were penalised at a Springbok maul and Pollard goaled. 6-6 after 22 minutes.
The Pumas mauled from a line-out but the Springboks repelled them. They bashed and then went wide to the left where three played two and Manuel Montero was able to squeeze over in the corner as Cornal Hendricks tried desperately to stop him. Sánchez converted from touch. 13-6 after 25 minutes.
At this stage the Pumas were doing all the running but Tomás Lavanini was penalised at a tackle and Pollard made it 13-9 after 28 minutes.
Then totally against the run of play the Springboks got into the lead for the first time, The Pumas were inside the Springboks 22 when the sight of Gurthrö Steenkamp produced a dropped ball which Ruan Pienaar footed downfield. He footed twice more and the third time the ball rolled into the Pumas' in-goal where speeding Bryan Habana dived on it for his 56th Test try. Pollard converted and the Springboks led 16-13, a lead which they managed to keep till half-time.
Just before the break Sánchez did what he did twice in Pretoria – break clean through and a try seemed probable till Habana saved the day.
The crowd cheered when the Pumas ran with the first South African scrumof the second half, which earned them another penalty. The Springboks then changed both props.
The Pumas attacked and again Habana saved. They had a line-out and attacked again and suddenly there was a try when substitute scrumhalf Tomás Cubelli squeezed between Lood de Jager and Bismarck du Plessis to score a try in Willie le Roux's tackle. The Pumas had the lead back at 20-16 after 46 minutes.
Pienaar kicked dead to give the Pumas a scrum on the Springbok 22 and they attacked with Joaquín Tuculet heading for the left-hand corner with Jean de Villiers and Damian de Allende trying to stop him. The TMO confirmed that Tuculet had scored. 25-16 after 50 minutes, though the missed conversion would later be significant.
At this stage Marcell Coetzee and Adriaan Strauss replaced Juan Smith and Bismarck du Plessis and both played significant roles in the final victory.
Sánchez added to that lead with a penalty for a tackle infringement. 28-16 after 55 minutes. It seemed that the Pumas were set fair for victory.
Morné Steyn came on for Pollard.
Le Roux started it. He raced down the left-hand touchline and the Springboks went wide right where Hendricks stretched out in Tuculet's tackle and only just managed to ground the ball on the line. From touch Steyn converted – a significant kick in the final analysis. 28-23 to the Pumas after 58 minutes.
Francois Hougaard replaced Pienaar.
Strauss footed a long way down the right touchline and the Pumas had a line-out five metres from their line. Eben Etzebeth won the line-out but then the Springboks had a scrum. It collapsed four times and was reset three times. The fourth time the Springboks were penalised yet again. From the subsequent line-out the Pumas attacked and a drop by Hernández just narrowly missed the upright.
The Springboks had a penalty and De Villiers opted for a five-metre line-out. Vermeulen won the line-out, the Springboks shunted their maul to the line and Coetzee scored. Steyn goaled and, incredible to relate, the Springboks led 30-28 with 12 minutes to play.
Bakkies Botha replaced Etzebeth and was penalised for being offside ahead of the kicker and from 51 metres out and at an angle Marcelo Bosch goaled. 31-30 with 7 minutes to play.
The Springboks got onto the attack and the Pumas were penalised – just the second time in the half – at a tackle. Steyn did not miss. 33-31 with three minutes to play.
The Pumas made a serious effort but a pass into touch ended the match.
Man of the Match: We have a choice – the Puma front row which did so much to destroy the Springboks and Joaquín Tuculet, the Puma fullback and we chose Joaquín Tuculet.
Moment of the Match: Bryan Habana's 56th Test try after Ruan Pienaar's remarkable skill and control.
Villain of the Match: Nobody really.
The scorers:
For Argentina:
Tries: Montero, Cubelli, Tuculet
Cons: Sánchez 2
Pens: Sánchez 2, Bosch
DG: Hernández
For South Africa:
Tries: Habana, Hendricks, Coetzee
Cons: Pollard, Steyn 2
Pens: Pollard 3, Steyn
Teams
Argentina: 15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Lucas González Amorosino, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Juan Martín Hernández, 11 Manuel Montero, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Martín Landajo, 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 7 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Mariano Galarza, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 2 Agustín Creevy (captain), 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements: 16 Matías Cortese, 17 Bruno Postiglioni, 18 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 19 Matías Alemanno, 20 Leonardo Senatore, 21 Tomás Cubelli, 22 Jerónimo De la Fuente, 23 Horacio Agulla.
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Damian de Allende, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Lodewyk de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Bakkies Botha, 20 Marcell Coetzee, 21 Francois Hougaard, 22 Morné Steyn, 23 Lwazi Mvovo
Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)
Assistant referees: John Lacey (Ireland), Marius Mitrea (Italy)
TMO: Simon Mcdowell (Ireland)
