The Springboks took on Argentina in the opening match of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday 14 August 2021. The match saw both teams sharing possession and territory, as well as conceding unnecessary penalties, which both teams converted into points. The Springboks, however, also scored three well-worked tries and beat Argentina 32-12.
In what was expected to be an epic battle between a refreshed Springbok team that included 12 changes to the squad that won the third and final Test in the Castle Lager Lions, and a motivated Argentina team, the Springboks outplayed the Argentinians despite conceding unnecessary penalties, which kept Argentina in the hunt on the scoreboard. The Springbok scrum replacements in the second half dominated the scrums and forced some penalties. Very good overall defensive play by the Springboks' also prevented Argentina from gaining momentum play and scoring any tries.
01:07 Penalty awarded to Springboks in Argentina's half for an Argentinian player not rolling away after a tackle. Successfully kicked by Elton Jantjies (3-0).
13:16 Cobus Reinach scored the Springboks' first try after collecting a dropped ball by the Argentinian backline and sprinting from within the Springbok half to score. Converted by Elton Jantjies (10-0).
15:51 Penalty awarded to Argentina in the Springboks' half after a Springbok player not releasing the ball. Successfully kicked by Nicolas Sanchez (10-3).
17:57 Aphelele Fassi scored the Springboks second try in the corner after collecting a clever chip kick by Elton Jantjies and sprinting down the sideline. Conversion missed by Elton Jantjies (15-3).
20:00 The first 20 minutes of the match saw both teams with equal possession and territory, each playing the ball through phases. However, the Springboks forced penalties by good pressure play and capitalised on their scoring opportunities.
22:40 Penalty awarded to the Springboks in Argentina's quarter for an early tackle by an Argentinian player. Successfully kicked by Elton Jantjies (18-3).
33:51 Penalty awarded to Argentina in the Springboks' half after Kwagga Smith came in from the side at a ruck. Successfully kicked by Nicolas Sanchez (18-6).
36:09 Penalty awarded to the Springboks in Argentina's half after an Argentinian player did not release the ball after being tackled. Successfully kicked by Elton Jantjies (21-6).
39:58 Penalty awarded to Argentina in the Springboks' quarter against Kwagga Smith who played the ball on the ground at a ruck. Successfully kicked by Nicolas Sanchez (21-9).
40:00 Both teams continued to share possession and territory, as well as the penalty count. The Springboks managed to take the lead on the scoreboard with two well-worked tries.
42:33 Penalty awarded to Argentina in the Springboks' quarter. Successfully kicked by Nicolas Sanchez (21-12).
46:50 Penalty awarded to the Springboks in Argentina's quarter. Successfully kicked by Elton Jantjies (24-12).
57:30 Penalty awarded to the Springboks in Argentina's quarter. Successfully kicked by Elton Jantjies (27-12).
60:00 Argentina enjoyed slightly more possession in the first 20 minutes of the second half however, the Springboks' pressure play and good defence kept Argentina pinned in their half and only able to score 3 points with a penalty kick.
78:12 Jaden Hendrikse scored the Springboks'third try in the corner after good backline play. Conversion missed (32-12).
Scorers:
Springboks: Tries: Cobus Reinach, Aphelele Fassi, Jaden Hendrikse. Conversion: Elton Jantjies. Penalties: Elton Jantjies (5).
Argentina: Penalties: Nicolas Sanchez (4)
Teams:
Springboks: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Sbu Nkosi, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Aphelele Fassi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Kwagga Smith, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ox Nché. Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Marvin Orie, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Dan du Preez, 22 Jaden Hendrikse, 23 Morné Steyn.
Argentina: 15 Santiago Carreras; 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Santiago Chocobares, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11 Matias Moroni; 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Felipe Ezcurra; 8 Rodrigo Bruni, 7 Facundo Isa, 6 Pablo Matera; 5 Marcos Kremer, 4 Guido Petti; 3 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2 Julian Montoya (captain), 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro. Replacements: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Carlos Muzzio, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Tomas Lavanini, 20 Matías Alemanno, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Domingo Miotti, 23 Sebastian Cancelliere.
Article by Francois du Toit