South Africa and Argentina both secured home wins this weekend, over the Wallabies and the All Blacks respectively, to stay alive in the Rugby Championship.
The Springboks put in a solid if unspectacular effort to overcome a spirited Aussie side 30-22 in Cape Town and put to bed the demons of last week’s demoralising loss at Ellis Park.
Los Pumas then claimed a first-ever victory on Argentinian soil over newly minted world number ones New Zealand with a 29-23 win in Buenos Aires.
South Africa vs Australia
The hosts’ success in the Mother City rested squarely on the shoulders of Handré Pollard, with the double World Cup–winning fly-half nailing all six attempts at goal to outshine James O’Connor, who missed three kicks in the last 12 minutes for the visitors.
After the game, Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus admitted that while the performance left room for improvement, regaining belief had been the principal aim in Cape Town.
“It was far from a perfect performance but sometimes just getting back on the horse is the most important thing,” he explained to Supersport.
“After a loss, you lose a little bit of belief, even though we had won eight on the trot and nine out of 10, but you do lose a little bit of belief, so the big thing for us was to try and win and not let them get a bonus point.
“We didn’t take all our opportunities, but we got eight points more than them so that’s satisfying.”
On what the Australia win means for the Boks’ Rugby Championship hopes, Erasmus was clear: “We always had to go to New Zealand and beat them twice if we want to have any chance, so nothing’s changed.”
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt likewise chose to focus on the positives of another closely-fought Test match between the two rugby powerhouses.
“I know it is a loss, but it was three tries apiece with a team that got destabilised early on. It does give belief,” Schmidt said.
“I felt like we made more line breaks and created more dangerous attacks. We did not finish them well enough, but that is credit to the defence of the Springboks.”
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Argentina vs New Zealand
Having suffered 15 consecutive home defeats to the All Blacks since 1985, Argentina finally managed a win thanks to Santiago Carreras slotting three second-half penalties.
Captain Julián Montoya was overjoyed with the result in the capital, telling local media: “The stadium was rocking, honestly it was amazing. I’m really proud of the team and the whole squad.
“It’s a team effort and a team sport. I’m really proud.
“We believed that we could win – we’ve believed for a few years now. We came back from a tough loss in the last game and we stayed in the fight.”
New Zealand captain Scott Barrett, meanwhile, lamented his side’s lack of discipline.
“I think they showed more passion and intensity,” he stated frankly.
“They got over the gain line and they held the ball, while we gave away penalties which just fed their game. They’re a quality team and we were outclassed.
“We’ve got a week back at home and I’m sure there will be a bit of pain within this group because we’ve got a big challenge the following week [against the Springboks at Eden Park]. We certainly need a bounce.”
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