Agustin Creevy
Argentina captain Agustin Creevy bemoaned the fact that his team did not have the nous and fortitude to close out the game when they had a big lead.
Flyhalf Morne Steyn kicked a penalty three minutes from time to earn South Africa a very fortuitous 33-31 win over the Pumas at the 20,000-seater Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena in Salta at the weekend.
Trailing by 12 points with the final quarter approaching, a Springboks side – given a torrid time in the forward exchanges for much of the match – clawed back to snatch victory.
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The scrums were a particular problem for the two-time World Cup champions, with the Argentines shoving them back metres several times – in one instance 10 metres.
Success lifted leaders South Africa to eight points on the Southern Hemisphere Rugby Championship table, one above title-holders New Zealand.
Defeat left the often dominant Pumas wondering what they must do to end a 14-match winless run since debuting in the competition two seasons ago.
Argentina, ranked No 12 in the world, has only a draw – 16-all against the Boks in 2012 – and 13 defeats in the Rugby Championship.
Creevy spoke of “anger and bitterness” at having let the match slip from their grasp.
“They knew how to take advantage of some bad moments from us and we couldn’t figure out how to win the game,” Creevy said in his post-match reaction.
“Up by 12, we said we should play intelligent rugby, but they came out strong and we made some mistakes.
“Closing games is always a psychological issue,” he added.
He admitted is was a game they could have won and added that he felt they played a great match.
“In the latter stages of the match we made mistakes and against a team like South Africa that is costly.
“We have to be more patient in the latter stages of games.”
Loose forward Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe said they have “no excuses”, adding that the defeat caused them “much grief”.
“We can’t complain about fatigue [fitness] nor the heat,” Lobbe said of the soaring matchday temperature that saw referee Steve Walsh allow water-breaks midway through the first and second halves to avoid player dehydration.
“We were playing at a high intensity, against a great team that continued to pressure us,” he said, adding: “When we had control of the game, we scored two tries and a penalty.
“After we score the third try, there was a five-minute period where we lost the ball, the control and the ambition that we were looking for.
“That turned the game.”
He said their defence was very good, but pointed to a breakaway try by Bryan Habana late in the first half and the errors at the end of the match as the reasons for their loss.
“We will get back up and work harder. Since I have been with this team, the heads have never dropped and we will continue to work hard to [get that first Rugby Championship] win.
“However, losing when you’re so close is very hard. ”
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Jean de Villiers
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers praised the impact made by the South African replacements in Salta at the weekend.
South Africa recorded a hard-fought, if not very fortuitous, 33-31 Rugby Championship victory over a gallant Argentina at the 20,000-seater Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena.
To add further insult to what was a very bad day at the office, prop Frans Malherbe sustained a serious injury to his right ankle.
He was forced the leave the field late in the match and will not be available for the rest of the competition.
Malherbe will consult with a specialist in Cape Town upon his return to South Africa, when a call on further treatment and his replacement will be make.
After two rounds of the Rugby Championship, the Boks top the standing with two wins from as many matches.
They are on eight points with New Zealand one behind after their 51-20 victory over Australia in Auckland at the weekend.
It required flyhalf Morne Steyn to kick a penalty three minutes from time and the Boks to hang on desperately in the closing stages to ensure SA maintain the record of having never lost to the Pumas.
Trailing by 12 points going towards the final quarter, the Boks – given a torrid time in the forward exchanges for much of the match – finally exploded into action and clawed their way back to snatch what seemed an unlikely victory.
Bok coach Heyneke Meyer and captain Jean de Villiers both praised the home team for their performance after the match.
“I’ve said it before, but I really think Argentina is a much better team than what their world-ranking [12th] shows, and they showed it again in this match,” De Villiers said in his post-match reaction.
“We’re happy that we could pull it through, but it could’ve gone either way.”
De Villiers said the energy brought by the replacements was probably where his team won the match.
“That is not saying that the players who started did badly, but our bench, whom we see as impact players rather than replacements, certainly made an impact and that is probably where the difference was.”
Meyer said his team had shown great character to pull this one through.
“All credit to Argentina though – they’ve been together for a month and you could see that as they played some great rugby,” said Meyer.
“We don’t want to say every week that we’ve shown great character, but we’ve now won nine out of our last 10 away games and I think the guys have shown that they know how to win.
“At one stage, we were down and out and the team came back.
“We know there are a lot of areas we have to work on, but we’re still in this competition.”
De Villiers cut a relieved figure after the close call.
“We stuck to our guns and won,” he sighed.
“Argentina are getting better and better – and played unbelievably well.
“They created many challenges for us. And I am just happy that we beat them a second time within eight days.”
The skipper admitted they will need to work on their set pieces.
“There were problems at scrum time, but when it really counted, the pack did well.
“This team is a work in progress. And there are lots of errors to be corrected.
“Youngsters like Damian de Allende and Handré Pollard are on a steep learning curve and they will get better and better.
“At this stage, we’ll just take the win,” he added.
The Springboks will return to South Africa on Monday, before regrouping on Thursday to start preparations for the Australasian leg of the Rugby Championship.