Dominant Springboks too powerful for Argentina

South Africa proved to be too strong for Argentina once again as they continued their fine 2021 with a comfortable 29-10 triumph in Port Elizabeth.

The Springboks controlled much of the first half thanks to another dominant display up front and the ill-discipline of their opponents.

They were too strong for the Pumas and Handre Pollard rewarded the efforts of their pack by kicking five penalties for a 15-3 advantage at the interval.

Domingo Miotti responded with a three-pointer of his own but they were outgunned and Makazole Mapimpi’s try at the start of the second period effectively sealed their fate.

Malcolm Marx then went over to rubberstamp the win and maintain South Africa’s fine start to the Rugby Championship.

Jacques Nienaber’s men will now wait to see what happens with the rest of the competition after the All Blacks dramatically withdrew from next week’s Bledisloe Cup tie and cancelled their two games with the Boks, putting the tournament in disarray.

There was more of an effort from the Springboks to find some of their dangerous runners in the outside channels on Saturday, but it was still their trusty set-piece which did most of the damage.

Lukhanyo Am made an early incursion into opposition territory as they showed a bit more intent, but it was still their lineout drive and scrum which earned the penalties from which Pollard was able to build their lead.

A number of infringements by the Pumas allowed the Springbok fly-half to move his side into a 9-0 lead before Miotti reduced the arrears from the tee.

South Africa continued to control matters, however, with Argentina continuing to concede needless penalties.  Pollard duly added two more three-pointers ― the second also leading to a yellow card for Rodrigo Bruni ― as Nienaber’s charges opened up a comfortable advantage at the break.

It got even better for the South Africans in the early part of the second period when they scored their first try of the match.

Cheslin Kolbe finally got the ball in his hands and took play deep into the Argentine 22 before the Springboks went through the phases.  The pressure was unrelenting and Mario Ledesma’s men eventually succumbed when Willie le Roux sent Mapimpi over.

Boosted by that score, a second try was soon forthcoming for the Boks as they went back to their exceptional maul and were rewarded with Marx touching down.

There was still 25 minutes left but the remainder of the clash turned into a scrappy affair as the Springboks missed out on a bonus-point.  Instead, Argentina had the final word when, with the clock in the red, Pablo Matera crossed the whitewash for a consolation score.

South Africa grind out victory over Argentina

South Africa got their Rugby Championship campaign off to a winning start as they eased past Argentina 32-12 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.

Tries from Cobus Reinach, Aphelele Fassi and new cap Jaden Hendrikse saw the Springboks to victory, with Elton Jantjies kicking 17 points off the tee.

In reply Los Pumas had to rely on four penalties from Nicolas Sanchez as their start to the tournament ended in a disappointing loss in Port Elizabeth.

Fresh from their series victory over the Lions, the Springboks were much-changed in terms of their starting line-up and quickly got things ticking on the scoreboard, with Jantjies sending over a penalty goal after Argentina second-row Marcos Kremer was penalised by referee Andrew Brace for not rolling away.

Despite Argentina then managing to find their feet in the game via decent possession and territory, they were floored on 15 minutes when loose play in the backline saw the ball come free and subsequently get regathered by Reinach.  The scrum-half speedster needed no second invitation as he ran in from distance.

With the score now 10-0 in favour of the Springboks, it was crucial that the Pumas struck next, which is what they did through the boot of fly-half Sanchez.  However, barely a minute later that penalty was overshadowed by South Africa’s second try as Jantjies’ low and flat cross-kick found Fassi who made it 15-3.

Unfortunately that was the last of the tries in the opening period as the remainder of the half was all about the goal-kickers, first Jantjies knocking over from in front on 24 minutes before Sanchez responded on 35 minutes.  Both kickers would strike again in the closing stages, sending the two teams in at 21-9.

That pattern would continue shortly after the resumption as Sanchez struck first on 44 minutes, this after Kwagga Smith was penalised for hands in the ruck.  But, once again, the response would come and Jantjies made no mistake moments later following a scrum offence from Argentina’s back-pedalling forwards.

The contest was quickly becoming increasingly fragmented as errors marred the next 15 minutes, Frans Steyn missing a penalty from halfway one notable moment.

Jantjies would make no such mistake from in front on 59 minutes to make it 27-12, this after a high tackle from Rodrigo Bruni was spotted by the match officials.

The game’s try drought looked to have finally ended 12 minutes later when, following sustained pressure from the Springboks in the Pumas’ 22, Reinach’s pass found Fassi for a run-in.  However, the TMO intervened after spotting hooker Malcolm Marx crawling which subsequently saw the wing’s second score chalked off.

But world champions South Africa would get their third try moments before the final whistle when replacement and debutant Hendrikse finished smartly in the right-hand corner after a solid carry from Marco van Staden.  The race for the bonus-point then ensued but the Boks did not come close to threatening again.

All Blacks’ Bledisloe Cup dominance continues

New Zealand’s dominance over Australia continued when they sealed an emphatic 57-22 victory in their Rugby Championship encounter in Auckland on Saturday.

The result is a momentous one for the All Blacks as it is a record score against the Wallabies and it means they have retained the Bledisloe Cup for the 19th successive year with Australia last lifting the famous trophy in 2002.

In a fast-paced and entertaining Test, the All Blacks were deserving winners as they outscored the Wallabies eight tries to three with Codie Taylor (2), Rieko Ioane, Ardie Savea, Brodie Retallick, Sevu Reece, Will Jordan and David Havili crossing the whitewash.

Richie Mo’unga contributed 10 points courtesy of five conversions while Beauden Barrett also succeeded with a couple of two-pointers off the kicking tee and Damian McKenzie slotted a monster penalty.

For the Wallabies, Andrew Kellaway scored a brace of tries while Tate McDermott also dotted down and Noah Lolesio added a penalty and two conversions.

New Zealand had the better of the early exchanges and opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Ioane intercepted a pass from Matt To’omua on the edge of the home side’s 22 and the outside centre outpaced the cover defence before crossing for his try.

That score did not deter the visitors, who were soon on the attack inside the All Blacks’ 22 where Kellaway stepped past McKenzie on his way over the try-line.

The next 10 minutes saw plenty of attacking from both sides but a combination of handling errors and solid defence meant neither side would score points during that period.

New Zealand regained the initiative in the 23rd minute when Akira Ioane launched a stunning counter attack from deep inside his half.  He did well to beat a couple of defenders and was soon close to Australia’s 22 where he offloaded to McKenzie, who got a pass out to Retallick and the big second-row scored under the posts.

That try boosted the All Blacks as 10 minutes later they had the Wallabies on the back foot as their forwards set up several rucks inside the visitors’ 22 before Savea powered his way over the whitewash from close quarters.

The Wallabies needed a response and after Lolesio added a penalty in the 31st minute, Rob Valetini put them on the front foot when he made a break off the back off a scrum deep inside New Zealand’s 22 late in the half.  He still had work to do but did well to offload to McDermott, who crossed for a converted try which meant Australia were still in the game with the score 21-15 in New Zealand’s favour at the interval.

The #BledisloeCup stays in Aotearoa with highest score ever posted against Australia.  #NZLvAUS pic.twitter.com/4YTyItfkcD

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) August 14, 2021

The Wallabies made a bright start to the second half and they received a shot in the arm soon after the restart when Savea was yellow carded for a cynical defensive foul close to his try-line.

Despite that setback, the All Blacks were next to score when Aaron Smith tore the visitors’ defence to shreds with a sniping break close to the halfway line and he did well to throw an inside pass to Taylor, who crossed for his side’s fourth try.

In the 53rd minute, McKenzie left his stamp on this Test when he stepped up to land his long-range penalty from close to his 10-metre line.  That score seemed to knock the wind out of Australia’s sails as New Zealand hammered home their dominance with quickfire tries from Reece and Taylor which meant they held a comfortable 41-15 lead by the hour-mark.

They were far from done though as five minutes later Jordan found himself in the clear out wide before crossing in the right-hand corner and although the Wallabies struck back when Kellaway went over for his second try, the All Blacks clinched the result when Havili scored his five-pointer in the game’s dying moments.

All Blacks hold off Wallabies in Bledisloe Cup opener

New Zealand made a statement of intent in their opening Bledisloe Cup Test against Australia when they sealed a 33-25 victory at Eden Park on Saturday.

The All Blacks were full value for their win as they were the dominant side for most of this match, although they took their foot off the pedal during the game’s latter stages which allowed Australia to score three unanswered tries during that period.

Richie Mo’unga led the way with an 18-point haul for the All Blacks, courtesy of a try, three penalties and two conversions and their other points came via five-pointers from Sevu Reece, David Havili and Damian McKenzie.

For Australia, Tom Banks scored a brace of tries while Andrew Kellaway, Jordan Uelese also crossed the whitewash and Noah Lolesio added a penalty and a conversion.

The opening exchanges were scrappy with both teams making several unforced errors and we had to wait until the 18th minute before Mo’unga opened the scoring courtesy of a penalty.

Shortly afterwards, he added another three-pointer off the kicking tee, after the Wallabies were blown up for illegal scrummaging, which meant the home side were leading 6-0 midway through the half.

Another Mo’unga penalty followed on the half-hour mark but despite trailing on the scoreboard, the Wallabies did plenty of attacking.  There was little reward though but they eventually opened their account in the 32nd minute when Lolesio slotted a penalty, after an illegal tackle from Brodie Retallick on Tate McDermott.

That lifted their confidence levels and in the 36th minute the game came alive when Hunter Paisami gathered a long throw-in at the back of a Wallabies lineout, just inside New Zealand’s half.  He hit the line at pace and breached the home side’s defence before offloading to Kellaway, who crossed for the opening try.

Despite that score, the All Blacks did not panic and on the stroke of half-time, Reece crossed the whitewash from close quarters with Mo’unga adding the extras to give his side a 16-8 lead at half-time.

That second half was pure #BledisloeCup footy.#NZLvAUS pic.twitter.com/ltbYPO9ZYr

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) August 7, 2021

The hosts’ dominance continued in the second half and soon after the restart they launched an attack from deep inside their 22.  The ball went through several pairs of hands before Reece rounded off behind Australia’s try-line but his effort was ruled out due to a forward pass from Aaron Smith to Retallick in the build-up.

That disallowed score gave the Wallabies a lifeline and they upped the ante on attack.  However, a promising attacking move went awry in the 51st minute when Mo’unga intercepted a pass from Paisami close to the All Blacks’ 22-metre line and he raced away to score his side’s second five-pointer.

It was all New Zealand during the next 15 minutes and they were rewarded with two further tries during that period.  First, Smith found Havili with a well-weighted long pass close to Australia’s try-line before the centre stepped past Lolesio on his way over.

The home side continued to dominate and in the 65th minute Smith turned provider again when he offloaded to McKenzie, who crossed for their fourth try.

Despite that score, the Wallabies finished stronger and in the 69th minute Banks rounded off out wide, after running onto a pass from Matt To’omua.  Five minutes later, the full-back benefited again after gathering a grubber kick from Lolesio before Uelese added some respectability to the final score when he dotted down off the back of a lineout drive in this Test’s dying moments.

South Africa claim series win over British & Irish Lions

A 79th minute penalty from Morne Steyn saw South Africa to a 2-1 series triumph over the British & Irish Lions as they won 19-16 on Saturday.

After losing the opening Test, the world champions bounced back to claim the remaining matches as the Lions will head home licking their wounds.

Cheslin Kolbe scored South Africa’s only try while Handre Pollard added eight points and Steyn kicked two penalties in the latter stages in Cape Town.

For the Lions they crossed through Ken Owens while Finn Russell slotted a conversion and three penalty goals, but the touring outfit came up short.

Inspired by Russell who had replaced the injured Dan Biggar, the Lions produced their best rugby of the series in a first-half they lit up with off-loads, tempo and ambition.

The only concern was that Owens’ 19th-minute try as part of a 10-6 interval lead was a disappointing return given the time spent in the opposition 22 and so it proved in a tense third quarter dominated by the Springboks.

Kolbe struck with a brilliant finish to propel South Africa back in front and set-up a nerve-shredding climax to the series as Russell, Pollard and then Steyn took over from the kicking tee.

But trailing 16-13, the Lions rolled the dice by opting for touch instead of another three points and the gamble backfired when a scrum won after they had been held up over the line saw the Springboks win a penalty to relieve the pressure.

They did not make the same mistake twice, however, with Russell completing a long-range attempt to level the score with five minutes left, but there was still time for Steyn to strike.

In a desperate blow for Biggar, his departure soon after missing a shot at goal brought on Russell who made an immediate impact with the ball in hand once Pollard had sent a kick sailing between the uprights to draw first blood.

The Lions were gaining a crucial foothold at the scrum and when they squeezed the hosts once more, referee Mathieu Raynal awarded a penalty that Russell landed comfortably.

And Russell was at the heart of a Lions attack that swept them downfield, sharp lines and slipped passes doing the damage and forcing another kickable penalty, but this time Alun Wyn Jones opted for touch.

The gamble paid off as Owens was driven over from the line-out and with Russell on target with the conversion, the lead stretched to 10-3.

Liam Williams ignored an overlap that would have led to a certain score for Josh Adams as the Lions, guided by Russell, continued to make ground with the ball in hand before a second attempt at scoring a maul try ended with Raynal’s whistle.

Wyn Jones, the tourists’ most effective scrummaging loosehead, was clutching his shoulder in discomfort and South Africa forced a penalty at the set-piece that Pollard nailed.

The first-half ended with the Springboks furiously defending their line with Siya Kolisi coming to their rescue with a critical steal.

Wyn Jones finally departed with his injury soon after the interval and it became the Lions’ turn to weather a storm as South Africa pounded away without success, their disappointment compounded by a missed penalty by Pollard.

A high tackle by Russell on Kolbe was whistled but once more Pollard could not hit the target and with 55 minutes on the clock, the tourists finally escaped their half with a long kick from their mercurial fly-half.

But disaster struck almost immediately when a hoisted ball bounced off Jasper Wiese’s shoulder and fell to Lukhanyo Am, who fed Willie le Roux.

The former Wasps full-back did his job perfectly as he drew his man and fed Kolbe who twisted and turned through despairing tackles by Williams and Luke Cowan-Dickie to score.

Russell punished an infringement by Wiese to level the score but Steyn replaced Pollard and his first act was to land a penalty.

The Lions were held up over the line and could not capitalise on a five-metre scrum, but they were back on the front foot through a rampaging break by Robbie Henshaw.

Russell then found the posts but Steyn had the final say as he returned to haunt the Lions.