Southern kings: Boks crowned after skinning Pumas
The Springboks were crowned champions of the southern hemisphere on Saturday, after mopping the floor with Argentina 48-7 in Mbombela.
The wen means South Africa topped the Rugby Championship log with 26 log points, with New Zealand (16 points) leapfrogging the Pumas into second place after they smashed Australia 33-13 in their final match in Wellington on Saturday.
Argentina’s Pumas (14) finished third and Australia’s Wallabies (5) heel laaste.
The win marked South Africa’s eerste Rugby Champs title since 2019 and after watching his team run Los Pumas into the ground, Erasmus says: “It was a gutsy performance and there was enough effort, and I do think there were brilliant plays at stages. So, it was a much better performance [than the one in last week’s 29-28 defeat in Argentina], it wasn’t perfect but there was some really good stuff that we can build on.
“We showed good intent. Argentina are a very physical side, a nippy, great attacking side - Jerry [Flannery, defence coach] was very nervous during the week so to keep them to one score was great.
“It was a much better performance than in Argentina, but it was a good performance and something to build on.”
🏆🤝💚💛🇿🇦#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold #RSAvARG pic.twitter.com/KfA5lZNtI8
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 28, 2024
The win was also a special one for the new most capped Springbok of all time, Eben Etzebeth after playing in his 128th match to break the record of Victor Matfield.
The bruising Springbok lock says: “The milestone wouldn’t have been nice if we’d lost this game, so the team really showed up.
“The Rugby Championship was on the line; it was a final, and we all wanted to win that trophy. The guys wanted to make it special for me, but it will always be a team sport, and the trophy was the big thing, and we’ll celebrate it very nicely. It was an unbelievable performance from everyone.”
francois.dewet@inl.co.za