Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus rues errors in Rugby Championship loss to Argentina

BUENOS AIRES – South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus refused to blame Manie Libbok for their surprise 29-28 Rugby Championship defeat by Argentina on Sept 21, after the fly-half failed to convert a penalty from virtually in front of the posts to win the game.

The missed kick from 35 metres in the last minute keeps the title race alive, though the Springboks will need just a point from their return meeting with Argentina at home in Mbombela on Sept 28, when the destination of the trophy will be decided.

“We made too many mistakes at crucial times and Argentina took their chances,” said Erasmus. “If it wasn’t for a missed kick, we would have had smiles sitting here now.

“But if we had done the things we should have in the game, it would not have come down to that one kick. We lost line-outs and made other errors. It was not a great display from us.

“I was so hoping he (Libbok) would kick that penalty over and he had been kicking so well all week. But it is the pressure.

“He will get a lot of flak for that, and will have to manage that.”

Erasmus made 10 changes to his side for the game in Santiago del Estero and left several regulars at home in order to give his wider squad a run-out.

Despite the result, he had no regrets and believed the experience will help the younger players in the squad develop in the long term.

“The guys who were rested will all come back into the mix (for next weekend). As much as we wanted to win this game, it was a gamble leaving guys at home,” Erasmus said.

“The loss is not nice, but for some of the younger guys to experience this stadium and how Argentina loosen up the game, it will help them in the future...

“It hurts a lot, I assure you. We have to point the fingers at ourselves, not just the players but also the coaches and the management.

“Next week we have a chance to redeem ourselves and win the Rugby Championship.”

Argentina scored four tries through winger Mateo Carreras, flanker Pablo Matera, prop Joel Sclavi and fly-half Tomas Albornoz as they took advantage of a first-half yellow card for visiting wing Kurt-Lee Arendse and turned a 17-0 deficit into a 26-22 half-time lead.

The Springboks had conceded only five tries in winning their first four matches in the Southern Hemisphere championship.

Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi said: “The victory could have been a defeat in the last minute. Beyond the result, which is obviously welcome, the important thing is what we were able to do at times, which is to impose our game.

“At times it came out but we also shot ourselves in the foot, because we gave them an entrance to the game with penalties and unforced errors.

“South Africa are predictable, but not easy. You know what they are going to do, but they do it so well that it is very difficult to stop.”

South Africa scored tries via winger Aphelele Fassi, centre Jesse Kriel and scrum-half Cobus Reinach as they lost for the first time in the tournament.

“Congratulations to Argentina, they stuck at it and did not go away,” stand-in South Africa captain Salmaan Moerat said. “They put us under a lot of pressure but we played good rugby for much of the game.

“We need to continue applying pressure. There were times in the game when we let go of it. That will be the big work-on for us going into next week.”

There was a silver lining though, as lock Eben Etzebeth won a South African record-equalling 127th Test cap, when the Boks refreshed their forwards with their customary “bomb squad” of replacements early in the second half.

The 32-year-old equalled the record of fellow lock Victor Matfield when he replaced Moerat in the 48th minute at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades.

The world record for most caps belongs to Alun Wyn Jones, another lock, who played 171 times for Wales and the British and Irish Lions between 2006 and 2023.
REUTERS, AFP