Springboks dig deep to escape Argentina with hard-fought win

For much of the first half, the Boks struggled to impose themselves. With their vaunted set-pieces not really firing and their forwards not dominating the collisions the way they normally do, the Boks were struggling to build continuity in possession, as a lack of support play and teamwork allowed Argentina’s defence to deal with individual runners relatively comfortably.

But as they so often do, the Boks pulled it together in the second half, thanks once again to the arrival of their bench, who injected some much-needed energy and intent and sparked what had been for the most part a strangely lethargic performance.

The way they managed to regain control of proceedings in the second half showed their ability to adapt and find a way through adversity, while their grit and determination to keep Argentina out in the closing stages was a reminder of the character and defensive resolve that has become such a defining feature of this Springbok side.

It may not have been the kind of performance Rassie Erasmus would have wanted with the All Blacks lying in wait, but it was probably just the kind of test the Boks needed.

How it happened

Argentina opened the scoring after Cameron Hanekom was penalised for a high tackle, with Santiago Carreras converting from the tee. The Boks hit back a few minutes later when Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted a penalty after Pablo Matera was penalised for getting too eager at the ruck.

The Boks were looking rusty in the early exchanges, with a straightforward pass in the midfield not going to hand before an Argentina restart was also knocked on. A penalty at scrum time followed shortly after, and the hosts made the Boks pay, kicking for the corner before a clever little pop pass in the tackle created space for Benjamin Grondona, who charged through to score their opening try.

The Boks enjoyed a solid spell of possession but were not offering much on attack and were struggling to trouble the home side's defence. They eventually found a way to the line, with Siya Kolisi impressing with a couple of strong carries, but the Bok captain left the field shortly afterwards. The Boks then lost their lineout after kicking for the corner, as the errors continued to mount.

The South Africans looked a touch off the pace, perhaps feeling the effects of their long journey, with even their forwards struggling to exert any dominance, while Argentina looked hungry and eager to pounce on every mistake.

But with the first half winding down, the Boks finally found a bit of inspiration as a couple of smart offloads from Canan Moodie and Andre Esterhuizen in the tackle created the space for Edwill van der Merwe out wide, as they went into the sheds somewhat fortunately tied at 10-10.

More sloppiness from the Boks after the break put the hosts back on the front foot, with only the uprights coming to the rescue as Carreras narrowly missed from the penalty spot.

When a missed lineout from the hosts finally gave the Boks another opportunity, the ball was held up over the line, though the visitors were starting to see more possession and getting over the advantage line more regularly.

The Boks were unlucky not to score when a TMO intervention spotted that the ball had gone out of play way earlier in the build up, as the home side escaped once again.

Argentina were beginning to live more dangerously, and when a clever kick from the recently introduced Handre Pollard pinned them back on their own goal line, the Boks turned the resulting scrum into a driving maul, with Cameron Hanekom dotting down from the back of the advancing pack as they finally hit the front for the first time in the match.

When a scrum penalty went the Boks' way shortly after, all suddenly seemed right with the world once again, even if the danger was far from over.

While the Boks weren't creating further daylight on the scoreboard, they had finally managed to grab the game by the scruff of the neck, and Argentina weren't able to exert much pressure.

That was until a superb 50-22 put them right on the attack and gave them a chance to snatch a draw in the dying embers of the match.

But after pounding at the line for phase after phase without success, an unfortunate knock-on from a disconsolate Matias Moroni brought their challenge to an end, as the Boks' valiantly defended their line to hang on for a 17-10 victory.