Springboks Grind Out Argentina Win, Mallett Highlights Scrums

The Springboks secured a hard-fought 17-10 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires, a performance former coach Nick Mallett characterized as “average” despite identifying key positives Mallett highlighted two “positives” for the world champions.

South Africa needed a 62nd-minute converted try from Cameron Hanekom to break a 10-10 deadlock and ultimately seal the win against Felipe Contepomi’s Pumas at Estadio José Amalfitani.

Planet Rugby reported that Matías Moroni’s late knock-on deep inside the Springboks’ 22 from a Lucio Cinti pass denied Argentina a potential draw in the closing stages.

Injury Returns Impact Cohesion

Many Springbok first-choice players, who had featured in previous Nations Championship Tests against England, Scotland, and Wales, were not present in the Argentina match. Conversely, several players were returning from extended injury layoffs.

Mallett suggested this combination contributed to the team’s disconnected play this contributed to the world champions not being at their best. He specifically mentioned Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Ethan Hooker as players coming back from injury, noting the team appeared “disconnected and inaccurate”.

Speaking on the Talking Boks podcast with Brenden Nel, Mallett observed that areas typically strong for the Springboks, such as contestable kicks, were “very, very poor in this game.” He cited instances of kicks being too long, allowing easy marks or counter-attacks, or kicked too high without providing chase momentum kicking from both…was very poor in this game. Players like Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu Set for Springboks Debut vs. Argentina Feinberg-Mngomezulu Set for Springboks Debut vs. Argentina, and Cobus Reinach were mentioned in this context.

Scrum Dominance a Crucial Factor

Despite the overall performance, Mallett lauded the Springboks’ scrummaging efforts throughout the match, calling it a decisive factor.

He stated that the scrum was “excellent” with both front rows, recovering from an early penalty against Thomas du Toit scrum was excellent. This scrum dominance proved critical given the blunt attacking display, which lacked offloads and momentum. This warm-up fixture precedes the eagerly anticipated Greatest Rivalry Test series against the All Blacks, commencing on August 22 in Johannesburg. For more world rugby coverage world rugby coverage, including news on how the Springboks Bolster Squad With Mchunu Ahead of Springboks Bolster Squad With Mchunu Ahead of their upcoming tests, refer to DJC Rugby's dedicated sections.

Pumas' Resilience Noted

Mallett also acknowledged Argentina’s competitiveness, noting they remained in contention until the final whistle, underscoring the challenge they posed to the reigning world champions.